Return to the territory and count the harvest (5400)

"Access granted successfully!"

Cao Xing felt secretly pleased!

This way, it would be very convenient to travel between Eternal Frost Main City and the territory in the future; there would be no need to spend two or three days covering two or three thousand kilometers like before.

Cao Xing cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks!"

"You are too polite, Lord Cao Xing. It was just a small favor." The officer smiled and continued, "Eternal Frost Main City has just gone through a battle, and I need to go help maintain order, so I won't disturb you any further."

"Alright, go ahead and get to work."

The officer cupped his hands and quickly departed.

Soon, only Cao Xing and his group remained by the teleportation array.

He pressed the communication device on his ear and said, "Victoria, bring Gwyneth, Tian Jing, and the Light Feather Chicken to the palace. I'll be waiting for you in the East Gate area."

Victoria's slightly authoritative voice soon came through his ear.

"Understood, arriving soon."

Cao Xing and his group continued to wait in place.

At the same time, he sent a message to Liu Muxue, informing her that he was about to bring people back.

After waiting a few minutes.

Two graceful figures, along with a cloaked man with a slightly gloomy aura, quickly hurried toward Cao Xing.

Upon seeing Cao Xing, Tian Jing quickly pulled back his hood, revealing a lizard head covered in scales.

He wore an excited smile and said passionately, "Boss! We heard it all in the tavern just now!"

"You actually took out so many Watchers and even made that Legendary powerhouse furious!"

"Too cool! Even Legendary creatures are no match for you; you truly are my boss!"

Cao Xing glanced at him, "Stop the awkward flattery. A Legendary creature could crush me with a flick of their finger."

Hearing this, Tian Jing realized he had overdone it and sheepishly rubbed the scales on his head.

"Let's go, get into the teleportation array first."

As Cao Xing's voice rang out, everyone entered the light ring of the teleportation array before them.

Even Seraphis stood obediently in the corner with its wings tucked.

The next moment, a system notification appeared.

[Do you wish to initiate teleportation and return to your territory?]

"Yes."

As the words fell, a beam of light shot up from the teleportation array!

Completely obscuring the figures of Cao Xing and his group.

"Hum!"

With a powerful burst of energy, everyone lost their vision.

Everything before them turned into a vast whiteness; nothing could be seen.

Then, it felt as if they had entered some kind of magical tunnel.

When everyone regained their vision and opened their eyes, various familiar buildings appeared before them.

The tall and sacred Pale Tree, the magnificent and imposing Lord's Castle, and the energy tower radiating vibrant heat.

Clearly, they had returned.

In just a few seconds, they had crossed nearly three thousand kilometers!

Cao Xing chuckled, "As expected of a teleportation array, it's truly convenient."

Meanwhile.

Everyone's gaze turned forward.

A large crowd of figures was gathered and waiting in the teleportation array area.

Besides Liu Muxue, Andrew, and the others.

There were also Renice, Elisa, and Herlie, whom he had sent out not long ago.

This morning, Liu Muxue had mentioned that they had returned to the territory yesterday.

Seeing the silhouettes appear in the teleportation array, expressions of excitement and joy appeared in everyone's eyes.

"Lord! Welcome back!"

"Nature will bring you back safely."

Facing these greetings, Cao Xing smiled and nodded slightly.

His gaze fell upon the female knight with the outstanding temperament in the crowd, then he asked.

"Muxue, has anything happened in the territory during the time I was away?"

Liu Muxue wore a gentle smile and said, "Nothing special has happened. Everyone is continuing as before: going out during the day to deal with those enhanced Ice Nests and training in the training grounds at night."

"Also, the workers are all working very hard."

"That's good," Cao Xing replied.

Then, he scanned the others.

Except for Commander Bjorn, the swordsman Xiao, the Centaur Harati, and others who were out fighting.

Basically, everyone in the territory was present.

Elisa and Herlie, who had just returned, looked at Cao Xing with excitement.

It was clear that they seemed to have many things they wanted to report.

However, there were too many people here, and some things were not suitable to discuss in public.

Cao Xing said, "Alright, everyone disperse."

"Starting today, strengthen the perimeter around the territory."

"Increase the alert range from the original five kilometers to 10 kilometers."

"If there is any situation, or if you see creatures above Tier 6 near the territory, notify everyone immediately and prepare for battle!"

This move by Cao Xing was naturally to guard against the Watchers.

After all, this group acted extremely and were very crazy.

If they dared to attack the main city today, they might bring people to attack his territory tomorrow.

However, fortunately, he had an agreement with the old king.

If the Watchers attacked Cao Xing's territory, he could ask for his help.

After all, their teleportation array access was now open, and even the old king could quickly arrive via the teleportation array to provide support.

Everyone nodded solemnly.

They had also heard from Liu Muxue about the feat Cao Xing performed today: battling the Watchers in Eternal Frost Main City and slaying four of their powerhouses!

Soon, everyone dispersed.

Including the Dragon Speaker, who left with her dragon.

Only the newcomer, Tian Jing, remained standing in place.

He widened his eyes, looking at everything around him in amazement.

This was his first time coming to a Survivor's territory, and everything before him seemed to exceed his imagination.

Before this, from the information Tian Jing had learned on the forums, most Survivors' territories were very simple.

However, the territory before him was simply ridiculously luxurious!

But when he thought about this man's strength, Tian Jing felt it was only natural.

Cao Xing's voice pulled his thoughts back, "Tian Jing, for the next two days, you'll stay in that residential house. For meals and such, just go to the cafeteria."

"After this monster siege, I'll arrange a territory for you."

"Later, you will develop as my second territory."

Tian Jing immediately looked up and said excitedly, "Alright Boss, I'll follow all your instructions!"

After saying this, he walked toward the residential area of the territory with a curious expression.

As for Cao Xing, after patrolling the territory, he returned to the Lord's Castle.

"Creak!"

The heavy oak doors were pushed open.

A spacious hall appeared ahead, and the first thing that caught his eye was the gem-encrusted, sparkling [Shining Throne].

Cao Xing sat down casually.

He leaned back on the throne, his ice-blue robe draping over the sides, and the Thousand Ice Staff held in his hand.

Not to mention, at this moment, Cao Xing really did have an air of majesty.

However, to him, this kind of throne didn't have any special symbolism.

It was just that the effects attached to it were quite good; it could not only increase luck but also help locate high-level resource points, making it quite a decent item.

Then, he began to summarize his harvest this time.

"This trip to Eternal Frost Main City, although full of constant twists and turns, was generally quite smooth."

"First, I rescued Tian Jing and found the best candidate to develop the second territory."

"Next, I went to redeem honor point rewards and obtained large cannons and crossbows, as well as the Legendary weapon – death gods dagger."

"Then I followed Wei Jianyi and the others to open a Sword Saint inheritance and gained the extremely powerful combat strength of the Valkyrie."

"In addition to that, in the battle at the palace, I killed three Hero-level creatures of the Watchers and one Tier 7 Overlord, gaining quite a lot of things!"

It could be said that in the short five or six days he was out, Cao Xing's harvest was quite terrifying!

"However… the only thing I didn't find was a way to restore Gwyneth's voice."

Shaking his head slightly, Cao Xing didn't dwell on it.

He believed he would find it sooner or later.

After all, this world could even resurrect the dead, let alone something as trivial as a means to restore vocal cords.

After summarizing, Cao Xing looked up and toward a dark corner of the Lord's Castle.

"Sarah."

A shadow appeared.

"Lord, I am here."

"Show me the loot you picked up."

"Yes."

After saying this, Sarah took out a small backpack from her bosom.

Cao Xing reached out and took it.

After glancing at the contents, a smile gradually appeared on his face.

There were quite a few good things inside.

He first organized the souls and the Heart of Strength.

[Obtained: Taside Overlord Soul (Tier 7) * 1]

[Obtained: Armand Neal's Commander Soul (Tier 9) * 1]

[Obtained: Alana Isaacson's Commander Soul (Tier 9) * 1]

[Obtained: Hero's Heart * 1]

…

Two Commander souls, one Overlord soul, plus a Hero's Heart!

The four powerhouses he killed had all dropped the resources Cao Xing currently needed most.

"Not bad. If these four items can be successfully breakthrough, the strength of my territory will see a huge improvement."

Then, Cao Xing put the other items into his backpack.

[Obtained: Obsidian Hammer (Orange)]

[Obtained: blood-drinking blade (Orange)]

[Obtained: Blood of the Strong * 3]

[Obtained: master-level elemental crystal * 175]

[Obtained: Expert-level elemental crystal * 347]

This time, a lot of new things dropped.

Besides those souls and the Hero's Heart, there were also two orange weapons.

As per usual, Cao Xing checked the attributes of the new items.

There was no need to dwell on that one Overlord Soul and two Commander Souls; they had dropped before, so there was no need to look at them closely.

The success rate was about the same as the ones that had dropped before.

However, this was the first time obtaining a [Hero's Heart], so it was worth a look.

[Hero's Heart]

[Item Effect: After use, it allows a level 70 creature to advance to an eighth-tier creature, with a 50% success probability.]

(Note: After becoming an eighth-tier creature, the level cap will be increased by 30, allowing it to level up directly to 100.)

Cao Xing thought to himself, "As expected."

Levels 70 to 100 all belong to the Hero tier.

And once above level 100, it is the Legendary realm.

However, compared to the [Master-level Heart of Power], the success rate of this [Hero's Heart] had dropped again, down to 50%.

Cao Xing wasn't sure if his luck stat would allow him to succeed on the first try.

"Let's look at the other items first."

Next were two Epic quality weapons.

[Obsidian Heavy Hammer (Orange)]

[Quality: Epic]

[Equipment Level: Level 70]

[Weapon Attack Power: 5153 ~ 5378]

[Attached Effect ①: Strength + 1200, Constitution + 800, Accuracy – 20%]

[Attached Effect ②: Obsidian Power (When attacking, there is a 30% chance to increase one's own armor penetration damage by 30%.)]

[Attached Effect ③: Shield Protection (After activating this effect, it increases one's armor by (Constitution * 0.4) for 1 minute, with a 5-minute cooldown)]

(Equipment Description: A giant hammer forged from obsidian stone; while possessing great power, it also has decent defensive capabilities.)

[blood-drinking blade (Orange)]

[Quality: Epic]

[Equipment Level: Level 80]

[Weapon Attack Power: 6179 ~ 6378]

[Attached Effect ①: Agility + 1700, Strength + 800, Attack Speed + 20%]

[Attached Effect ②: Blood Rage (When taking damage, it increases one's own attack speed by 5%, stacking up to 10 times, lasting 60 seconds)]

[Attached Effect ③: Ultimate Blood Drinking (All attacks have a 30% lifesteal effect)]

(Equipment Description: A slaughter blade that craves blood; whether it's the enemy's blood or the wielder's blood, it will make it even more excited!)

The attributes of the warhammer in front were quite ordinary.

But when he saw the blade behind it, Cao Xing immediately became interested.

"This is interesting, 30% lifesteal and a 50% attack speed bonus."

"This weapon seems very suitable for Malenia."

After all, this Valkyrie's attack speed is already ridiculously fast.

If combined with this weapon, it would not only significantly increase her output but also enhance her survivability; it can be said to be quite good.

Of course, before changing weapons, he had to see what weapon Malenia was currently using.

If it was better than this [blood-drinking blade], then there would be no need to switch.

He first released the Valkyrie's remains from the [necromancers bag].

Clad in tattered golden armor, holding a dark golden longsword, her red hair fluttered like flames.

Her figure was so eye-catching.

Ignoring the scar on her face, this Valkyrie's former appearance must have been stunning!

As soon as she came out, Malenia respectfully came to Cao Xing's side.

"Master, please give your orders!"

"Malenia, let me see your weapon."

Malenia handed the weapon in her hand to Cao Xing without hesitation.

[Obtained: Blade of Afterglow (Gold)]

"Hmm? Is it actually only a Gold quality weapon?"

Cao Xing glanced at the attributes.

He discovered that although this weapon was Gold quality, its equipment level reached a staggering level 100.

Its base attack power was even 1500 points higher than this [blood-drinking blade (Orange)].

Of course, the equipment effects on it were much worse.

By comparison, between 1500 attack power and 50% attack speed, the latter definitely offered a greater boost.

Thus, Cao Xing directly tossed the blood-drinking blade to her and said, "From now on, use this weapon to fight."

"Yes, thank you for your gift, Master!"

Malenia respectfully accepted it.

The moment her right hand gripped the hilt, the weapon emitted waves of blood energy, and the blade began to tremble slightly.

"Hum hum!"

In her hands, the weapon felt as if it had found its home.

Intense blood energy continuously emerged from the blade, surging into Malenia's body, making her look more full of life.

Yes, full of life.

Although Malenia was very strong and could even converse normally, she was essentially a dead person.

And now, the blood energy bestowed by this weapon gave her pale skin a hint of color.

Even Cao Xing was very satisfied.

Malenia's attack speed was already ridiculously fast.

Now, combined with this [blood-drinking blade] and the bonus from the Eternal Power, her damage per second could be raised to another level!

Then, Cao Xing began to check the other item.

[Blood of the Strong: Special Item]

[Quality: Unknown]

[Item Effect: After fusing with the power in the blood, it increases one's own base attack power by 3% ~ 10%, can be used up to 3 times]

(Note: Blood that only has a chance to drop from experts of the eighth tier or higher; it is also a precious alchemy material.)

Seeing the effect of this item, Cao Xing was shocked.

"Holy crap, it increases base attack power by a percentage, and it can be used 3 times!"

"This thing is so strong!"

"If I kill a few more heroes, everyone on my side could have their attack power skyrocket!"

Of course, this was just wishful thinking.

After all, the source of this item was too rare; it only had a chance to drop after killing an entity of the eighth tier or higher.

You have to know, Master-level creatures were already that rare, let alone Hero-tier experts.

But Cao Xing was already very satisfied.

After all, the 3 drops of [Blood of the Strong] in his hand were enough to increase the attack power of one territory member by a significant amount!

Next, it was time to digest these gains and convert them into his own strength.

The first thing, of course, was the Hero's Heart.

This item provided the greatest boost; once the breakthrough was successful, it meant at least a 100% attribute bonus.

Then there were those souls, which also offered huge boosts; not only would there be a 30% attribute bonus, but they could also activate powerful skills or domains.

Just as Cao Xing was thinking about who to distribute them to.

A cold voice came from outside the door.

"Is it convenient for me to come in now?"

Cao Xing knew this was the Dragon Speaker's voice.

"Come in."

"Clang!"

The lord's castle gate opened.

The Dragon Speaker stepped inside.

The moment she entered, her gaze locked onto Malenia and Sarah, and a look of astonishment appeared on her face.

Although she had already witnessed the terrifying combat power of these two women in the previous battle.

But now, the Dragon Speaker was still amazed at their strength.

Sarah, now equipped with the death gods dagger, was already able to go head-to-head with the Dragon Speaker.

And as for Malenia on the other side, it went without saying.

A level 100 mutated Overlord, plus a divine body that had pushed all her attributes to an extreme level, could be said to be freakishly powerful!

In the lord's castle now, it could be said that the three most powerful combat forces under Cao Xing had gathered.

If these three women attacked at the same time, below the Legendary tier, no one would be their match.

"I didn't expect that in the short time I was away, you all would have increased your strength so much," the Dragon Speaker sighed.

Cao Xing smiled lightly.

"It's fine, the next wave of monster sieges is coming soon, and by then, you'll also be able to increase your strength quite a bit."

He knew that every time a Hero-tier creature leveled up, it would increase its base attack power and skill values.

The Dragon Speaker was currently level 89, and her base attack power had already broken through 60,000.

Once she reached level 100, 70,000 attack power would be easy.

Coupled with the increase in other skill values, although there might be a gap compared to Malenia, it would still be quite powerful.

Moreover, if she could break through to become a mutated Overlord-tier creature, Bing Lan's attributes probably wouldn't be much inferior to Malenia's.

However, Cao Xing only had one Overlord-tier soul in his backpack, and it was seventh-tier, which Bing Lan couldn't use.

He would just have to wait and see later.

Although Bing Lan didn't know what a monster siege was, she knew that the man in front of her had special abilities.

She continued, "I came to report to you about what I've encountered recently."

"Go ahead." Cao Xing nodded slightly.

Then, the Dragon Speaker began her story.

From leaving the Ice Crystal Kingdom, traveling thousands of kilometers, and then entering that high mountain.

To the point where she successfully found Seraphis and brought this dragon out with her.