Elite Soul

A village appeared ahead, amid the roiling mist.

It wasn't the kind of village a novice lord had, but a pitch-black mountain village.

There were no campfires in sight, yet the mist still didn't encroach on it. It was as if the village were a secluded paradise standing apart from the mist.

That was the strangest thing about it.

"Boss, I sense a very unpleasant aura." Hellscream stared ahead, his expression grave.

Even the strongest fighter in the territory felt uncomfortable, which meant there was something unusual about this village.

Shen Xing pondered for a moment before deciding, "Let's go take a look. If anything seems wrong, we retreat."

After all, it was too close to his territory. If there really was some terrifying existence inside, it would be a time bomb that could go off at any moment.

They had to gather information in advance and find a way to deal with it.

As they slowly approached, they finally got a clear view of the entire village.

Black earth and black buildings, as if everything had been burned.

Wooden houses stood there like pitch-black coffins.

[You have discovered a special area: Plague Village...]

Chapter 17: Elite Soul

"Plague Village... This place sounds dangerous."

Shen Xing gazed thoughtfully at the notification that had flashed before him.

Then, as usual, he logged into the forum and searched around. He soon understood.

As lords explored the mist, they encountered all sorts of special areas, which could be thought of as open dungeons.

These areas were often occupied by numerous monsters, and some even contained terrifying creatures, making them extremely dangerous.

But high risk also meant high rewards.

Conquering these areas often yielded vast amounts of treasure.

High-level troop nests, elite souls, equipment, advanced building blueprints, and so on...

Rumor had it that one novice player had cleared a special area early on and obtained elite three-star troops: dark elf archers.

With those elite troops, he wiped out a large number of monsters in the surrounding area and soared to prominence.

Shen Xing could only scoff at that.

Stories about killing a boss, obtaining heaven-defying treasures, and reaching the pinnacle of life were ultimately the exception.

If most newcomers recklessly charged into a special area like this, the monsters inside would give them a brutal lesson, and they would become one more accidental death among countless others.

This world was too dangerous, so he had to be cautious, then even more cautious.

He had an orc infantryman lift him up.

From his vantage point, he examined every corner of the village.

Just then, Shen Xing saw a large number of dark figures gathered in an open space at the center of the village.

Unlike the lost ones in the mist, these figures looked less like monsters and more like humans.

They wore black robes and knelt together on the ground, praying incessantly to a towering dark-red statue.

Nearby, two more dark figures, holding bone staves and wearing feathered headdresses like shamans, were muttering incantations.

The aura around every figure was deep and oppressive, and a few were even more terrifying than Hellscream's.

As Shen Xing watched from afar, information about some of the monsters appeared before his eyes.

[Plague Believer]

[Level: 7]

[Potential: common ★★★]

[Attributes: strength 27, spirit 35, agility 21, constitution 23]

[Skill: Corrosive Spit (spits corrosive mucus that continuously damages the target and adds stacks of "plague.")]

[Talent: Plague Body (all attacks apply 1 stack of plague.)]

[Bond-Plague Messenger (active): when more than 10 Plague Believers are present at the same time, health +10%

When more than 30 Plague Believers are present at the same time, plague damage increases by 20%]

[Plague Priest]

[Level: 7]

[Potential: elite ★★]

[Attributes: strength 48, spirit 59, agility 37, constitution 38]

[Skills: Darkness Bullet (waves its staff and condenses a darkness bullet, dealing heavy magic damage to an enemy.)

Plague Hurricane (waves its staff and summons a plague hurricane, dealing damage to enemies within a 5-meter diameter for 2 seconds.)]

[Talent: Plague Body]

[Bond-Plague Messenger (active)]

Shen Xing's eyelids twitched wildly. Every monster in this village was above level 5.

He could see at least several dozen of them, including quite a few one-star and two-star elite monsters.

Even more outrageous, he spotted a dark shape flying through the thick mist overhead.

We can't afford to mess with them!

"Let's retreat and go another way."

Shen Xing promptly gave the order, directing the party to withdraw.

Just then, one of the Plague Priests seemed to notice something.

It stopped chanting and raised its head, looking in the direction the orc infantrymen were leaving.

In the roiling mist, a patch of orange-yellow light was moving rapidly away.

"Whoosh-"

The Plague Priest's pupils instantly turned blood-red. It raised the bone staff in its hand and let out a rapid cry.

The Plague Believers kneeling on the ground raised their heads one after another, fixing their gazes on the direction in which Shen Xing and his companions were fleeing.

It was like kicking a hornet's nest. Dozens of black-robed figures shambled after them.

"Run!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Shen Xing told the orcs to pick up the pace.

The orcs sensed the danger too. Carrying their lord in his wheelchair, they ran at full speed through the mist.

Fortunately, the Plague Believers moved slowly.

Before long, they had left them far behind.

Unfortunately, a dark shape was pursuing them from the sky.

It moved extremely fast, unaffected by the mist.

Sharp stings ran down Shen Xing's back, as if some powerful predator had locked onto him.

Shen Xing looked back. In the roiling mist, a monster with a wingspan of more than three meters was closing in!

Its bald head was completely featherless, and it had sharp talons and a long, hooked beak. It looked like a formidable foe!

[Dark Vulture]

[Level: 5]

[Potential: elite ★★]

[Attributes: strength 36, spirit 29, agility 41, constitution 34]

[Skills: Diving Assault (locks onto a target from high in the air and dives rapidly, dealing heavy damage to enemies in its path.)

Giant Wing Sweep (swings both wings, dealing heavy damage to nearby targets and knocking them back.)]

[Talent: Carrion Pecking (increases damage dealt to wounded targets by 30%)]

[Bond-Dark Vulture (inactive)]

A two-star elite monster, and a flying troop at that. It was almost certainly the strongest enemy they had encountered since entering the game.

Shen Xing quickly weighed the two sides' strength in his mind.

But before he could think any further, the monster beat its wings and swooped at them like an attack helicopter!

-Diving Assault!

It closed in, stretched out its talons, and grabbed an orc by the shoulder!

"Bang!"

A tungsten-steel battle axe suddenly came at it from the side, chopping viciously into its wing with terrifying force.

Hellscream's strike had the benefit of Wind Walk's guaranteed critical hit. It was both fast and vicious!

"Screech-"

The Dark Vulture let out a miserable cry. Blood and feathers flew through the air as it crashed to the ground and rolled over a dozen times!

Shen Xing was delighted. Brother Orc's battle axe was no joke.

Although Hellscream was a star lower, he was Shen Xing's top trump card, strengthened twice already. His combat power wasn't much weaker than the vulture's.

"Get it!"

Finish it while it's down!

Shen Xing gave the order and, at the same time, pulled out his repeating crossbow and squeezed the trigger!

"Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Three or four bone arrows shot out, striking the vulture's back and burying themselves deep in its flesh.

Except for the orc carrying Shen Xing, the infantrymen had already surrounded it, their stone axes falling like rain!

"Screech! Screech!"

The vulture shrieked as it was hacked, blood spraying everywhere.

But it was a two-star elite creature, after all. It quickly recovered, spread its wings, and spun sharply!