Chapter 78: Anqing Attempts to Turn the Tables

The one making his way through the darkness was indeed Yi Shen.

The recent abnormality in the planes had not only affected the Moonlight Land itself but also touched upon neighboring planes, especially those of higher levels. Yi Shen had now reached level 41, and each advancement required a staggering one million experience points. The lower-level regions no longer sufficed for him, so he had no choice but to head toward the frontlines to assess the situation.

His first reason was to protect his mother. She and her team had specifically come to the front, heading to the stronghold under Peach Blossom Dock’s control. Secondly, Yi Shen himself wanted to see for his own eyes what these monsters from the Moonlight Land were truly like, and whether his father’s disappearance was in any way related to them.

Just as the forums discussed, these monsters were stronger than those that had emerged from planar disturbances in previous years, and they appeared much closer to the cities. The higher a monster’s level, the more intelligent it became—especially at levels fifty and sixty, where some monster groups had even developed rudimentary civilizations of their own.

Fortunately, Yi Shen’s attributes had accumulated impressively by now. With a few grand spells, his speed at clearing monsters was hardly any slower than when he was at lower levels. These monsters could provide him with some level sixty equipment, and at times he would find special moonlight fragments—materials that greatly aided his research points. Thus, whenever he had spare time, he would hunt monsters nearby. Dressed all in black, whenever he was spotted, others often mistook him for the legendary “Black Mage” of old.

“There’s something wrong with these monsters,” he mused.

After finishing off the creatures at a small outpost, Yi Shen once again traversed the night, hovering above the plains and mountains. As the world accumulated, more and more monsters poured out from the Gate of Planes. They had begun to form their own communities, seemingly intent on taking root here.

Moreover, Yi Shen was startled to discover a strange blue mist shrouding certain special areas. This fog made him feel threatened, obscuring whatever lurked inside. Even monsters above level sixty posed little pressure to him now. With all his buffs stacked, a single Arcane Burst could deal nearly twenty thousand points of damage. For other mages, such a high-damage spell required several minutes to cool down, but Yi Shen could use it almost as a routine attack. With his monstrous stats, these creatures posed no real threat.

But within the blue mist, there were monsters that seemed distinctly unusual, their bodies gleaming with eerie shields. Yi Shen tried summoning elemental creatures to attack, but they were dispatched in seconds. When he approached too closely, beams of strange light would lash out, making it difficult and perilous even for him to get near.

If these creatures charged the cities together, the current defenses alone would be helpless to withstand them. The authorities of Jingmen Safe Zone must be aware of this, but so far they had not released any information on the forums. It seemed both sides were testing and escalating, waiting for one party to muster enough confidence to launch a true offensive—only then would the real battle begin.

Anqing had basically thrown in its lot with Jingbei Industrial by now, so Xuetu’s faction had gradually united with Jianghe, meaning Yi Shen’s mother, Lin Putao, and Zhao Nanxing now belonged to the same camp and had begun to gain the upper hand in internal affairs.

As a result, Zhao Nanxing and her team from Peach Blossom Dock had to shoulder more responsibility in the defense lines. Truth be told, Yi Shen would gladly give up all that Peach Blossom Dock offered if only it meant keeping his mother from participating in this conflict.

There were too many strange things about this incident. Whether it was these bizarre creatures or the moonlight mirror images emerging from the Gate of Planes, most explorers had never encountered anything like it.

Yi Shen knew that Lin Putao and Zhao Nanxing had reassembled the Peach Blossom Dock team and were heading to the front lines. Unable to set his mind at ease, he decided to seize this opportunity and check on them himself.

“Anqing is truly shameless,” someone grumbled in the night. “Eager for benefits, but when it’s time to fight, he retreats and hides at the rear.”

In the darkness, Zhao Nanxing led a convoy of over a hundred from Peach Blossom Dock, transporting all kinds of supplies to the battlefield. Their guild enjoyed the privileges and conveniences granted by the authorities to major guilds, so they were expected to shoulder corresponding social responsibilities. In a recent internal meeting, they had even dug up some dirt on Anqing to curb his influence a little.

Yet when trouble arose, Anqing used this as an excuse to shirk the frontline defense. His team only garrisoned some peripheral areas, far removed from Peach Blossom Dock’s critical defense lines.

“It might be for the best,” said a man in a violet robe—Feng Changcheng, now promoted to commander of Zhao Nanxing’s first regiment in Peach Blossom Dock. He had once been a reserve leader, participating in many battles with the main force. Since joining Zhao Nanxing’s camp, he had rallied a considerable following. With his high level—sixty-five, as a warlock—he could at least uphold Peach Blossom Dock’s reputation.

He hoped that by joining Zhao Nanxing, he could establish his own prestige. He had always envied Zhao Weimin and the other main regiment leaders, and now it was finally his turn to rise to power. Lately, he and Zhao Nanxing had grown close, and he was fast becoming the chief combat force within her faction.

“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong,” Lin Putao said, gazing at the distant night sky, uneasy. With no sign of Yi Shen, she was deeply worried for her son’s safety.

Soon, Peach Blossom Dock’s defensive lines were fully established. Though they were among the last to arrive, the other guilds, understanding their circumstances, voiced no complaints. In these times of war, everyone was in the same boat. If any part of the defense was breached, the rest would be under even greater pressure. This left little room for petty schemes.

Of course, “little room” did not mean none at all.

Take Anqing’s group, for instance. Frustrated by their waning influence—despite their generally higher levels—the intervention of the authorities had diminished the importance of brute strength. Seeing Zhao Nanxing’s team, mostly young women and lacking many high-level explorers, with even those above level fifty joining the main force, Anqing couldn’t help but hatch a plan.

After scrutinizing Peach Blossom Dock’s defense layout, he keenly sensed an opportunity for a comeback.

They couldn’t take direct action against Zhao Nanxing, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t stir up trouble elsewhere. As humans, they had to reason with Zhao Nanxing’s group, but the monsters from the other dimension would not be so constrained!

(This chapter ends.)