"Ding! Detected a new main quest: 'Explore Tianshan Yaochi.' Do you accept?"
After Jiang Yuan's Cold River City alliance and the Tianbo Mansion forces led by Wen Ding Cang Sheng parted ways with the two major alliances, Emperor Province and Wanli Alliance, the system issued a new quest. The two leaders led the players of Cold River City and Tianbo Mansion westward, while at the same time, the demon general Feng Tai was marching his army eastward. Within minutes, the two sides encountered each other.
"Jiang Yuan, what's that dark mass up ahead?" Wen Ding Cang Sheng spotted something unusual in the distance and spoke to Jiang Yuan, who was riding alongside him.
"Can't make it out. Looks like an army. Have everyone slow down; let's go check it out first."
"Something's up ahead. Everyone, slow down!" Jiang Yuan raised a hand to shield his eyes as if scanning, then said in the team channel. He and Wen Ding Cang Sheng sped up and galloped forward.
"Heavens! A demon army! Where did so many demon troops come from?" Wen Ding Cang Sheng, who had fought alongside Jiang Yuan in the Battle of Anyang Town, immediately recognized the dark mass ahead as a massive demon force.
"Demon army spotted! Everyone, prepare for battle!" Wen Ding Cang Sheng announced in the team channel, and the members of the two alliances behind them quickly spurred their horses to catch up.
"Report, General! Humans spotted ahead!" A demon scout immediately reported to General Feng Tai. Startled, Feng Tai urged his horse forward.
"It's him! That human who can channel the power of the Black Tortoise!" Feng Tai rode up and immediately saw Jiang Yuan standing at the front of the opposing camp. Alarmed, he quickly waved his hand to signal his rear army to attack.
"Ding! Detected a new main quest: 'Eliminate the Demon Army.' Do you accept?" A system prompt sounded, heralding the start of the impending battle.
"Center army, advance!" Feng Tai drew his sword from his waist and pointed it forward sharply.
"Kill!" With the roar of tens of thousands of demon soldiers, Jiang Yuan and Wen Ding Cang Sheng's group of a few dozen from Cold River City and Tianbo Mansion were instantly engulfed by the surging demon tide.
After successive battles, the combat skills of these alliance members from Cold River City and Tianbo Mansion had improved significantly. Without needing orders from Wen Ding Cang Sheng, they spontaneously formed a battle formation. At the front stood Wen Ding Cang Sheng, Ding Ye, Zhang Ergou, Chuang Shi Yong Ge, and other warriors. Behind them were a few close-combat assassins, mages in the center calmly unleashing attacks, and archers at the rear due to their long range.
"Summon Dragon Beard Tiger!" "Summon Sacred Beast Black Tortoise!" Jiang Yuan, standing with the mages of the two alliances, raised his hand and summoned ten thousand Dragon Beard Tigers and a Sacred Beast Black Tortoise, then quietly observed the battle.
Massive area-of-effect spells rained down on the surging demon army. As levels increased, the mage class's high burst potential was fully displayed. The demon soldiers, unable to reach the human players, were struck by magic of fire, lightning, and tornadoes, turning to ash.
"Ding! Congratulations on killing a demon soldier. Gained 180,000 experience points!" "Ding! Congratulations on killing a demon squad leader. Gained 360,000 experience points!" "Ding! Congratulations on killing a demon centurion. Gained 900,000 experience points!" A continuous stream of prompts rang out. Since Feng Tai's demon army was so vast, the prompts showed no sign of stopping.
Soon, Jiang Yuan reached level 107, and his experience bar steadily climbed at a slow pace.
"What are you idiots standing around for? Get in there!" Feng Tai never expected this small human force of a few dozen to be so formidable. Seeing that the ten thousand soldiers of his center army were nearly wiped out, he roared at the commanders and deputy generals beside him.
"Watch out! The demon commanders and deputy generals are charging!" Jiang Yuan quickly warned in the team channel. After the Dragon Beard Tigers' summon time expired and they vanished, he used a combination of two thousand Sand River Turtles and eight thousand Dragon Beard Tigers to cast a summoning skill.
Experienced Jiang Yuan knew that the attack power of demon commanders and deputy generals was far beyond that of ordinary soldiers. If they broke through the formation, the fragile mages and archers on his side wouldn't hold up.
"Arcane Mark!" Jiang Yuan then placed a skull mark on each charging demon commander and deputy general. The two thousand Sand River Turtles and eight thousand Dragon Beard Tigers he summoned locked onto the targets and swarmed forward.
White light radiated from the Sand River Turtles, taunting Feng Tai's commanders and deputy generals, preventing them from advancing an inch.
"Nice! Jiang Yuan, great job!" Wen Ding Cang Sheng, who had worried that so many demon mini-bosses charging together would cause casualties, turned to Jiang Yuan, gave him a thumbs-up, and shouted happily.
"Brothers, step it up! Take down these demon mini-bosses!" Seeing Jiang Yuan successfully control the demon commanders and deputy generals, Wen Ding Cang Sheng quickly added in the team channel.
"General, save me!" A demon commander charged too far forward and instantly became the focus of the human side's attacks. Within just over ten seconds, his health was critically low. In panic, he cried out for help to General Feng Tai behind him.
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the demon grand commander Chang Liu. Gained 20 million experience points!" But just as the demon grand commander named Chang Liu called for help, he was overwhelmed by countless skills. With a loud bang, his body exploded into experience points.
"A demon grand commander originally gives 100 million experience, but split among over fifty people in the team, it's pitifully little. At this rate, I can't even level up three times in a row!" Jiang Yuan pondered, looking at the 20 million experience he'd just earned. At his level, leveling up required 300 million experience. If he could monopolize the experience from these few commanders and deputy generals, it should be enough to reach level 110.
"Brother Wen Ding, can I discuss something with you?" Jiang Yuan reluctantly spoke to Wen Ding Cang Sheng, expressing his desire to solo the experience from these mini-bosses.
"No problem. It's just a few hundred million experience. There are plenty of demon soldiers left for us. Let these ones go to you first!" Wen Ding Cang Sheng then ordered everyone in the team channel to leave the team and disengage from combat, leaving only Jiang Yuan to face these demon mini-bosses.
"Thanks, Brother Cang Sheng. Once I take care of these mini-bosses, you all can rejoin and pick up the loot!" Jiang Yuan nodded to Wen Ding Cang Sheng in gratitude, then summoned a second Sacred Beast Black Tortoise and walked toward the enemy with a sinister grin.