Strongest Lord by Opening Blind Boxes

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Third Wave of the Void Invasion

”Ding! You have received the Black Mountain Stronghold extermination quest!”

”Ding! In the eastern part of the Golden Sparrow Country, at the border of Kaiyuan County and Qingyuan County, lies a great mountain. It has few trees, and because its rocks are scorched black, it is known as Black Stone Mountain.

The terrain of Black Stone Mountain is treacherous, full of steep cliffs. Its summit is named Black Cliff.

On Black Cliff sits a great mountain stronghold named Black Mountain Stronghold.

Black Mountain Stronghold claims to have eight thousand valiant men (in reality, 1,870). It is divided into four great halls—Fire, Water, Horse, and Wind. They control key roads, set up illegal checkpoints, command the waterways, and commit all manner of evil, from murder to Plundering.

By the system’s judgment, Black Mountain Stronghold is an evil organization. It has been designated as a Mountain Bandit stronghold, and a system quest has been created to summon Players to conquer it.

The main bosses of Black Mountain Stronghold are as follows:

One: Luo Jiu, the Big Boss of Black Mountain Stronghold, nicknamed the Rolling Python. Designated as a Purple-tier Chieftain, he possesses the skills [Rolling Ground Fist], [ground-laying saber], and [Python Ox Strength].

Two: Xue Yan, the Second-in-Command, nicknamed Blood Swallow. Former Master of the Horse Hall. She was rumored to be missing but actually died violently from a cultivation deviation. A transmigrated Player replaced her, but that Player is now also dead. Her position as chieftain has been taken by the stronghold’s Master, Xu Lei, who is cunning but possesses only average combat skills.

Three: Lei Liao, the Fire Hall Master of Black Mountain Stronghold, nicknamed Jiaopi Yama. Designated as a Blue-tier Chieftain, he possesses the skills [Flame Palm] and [Stone-Throwing Hand].

Four: Liao Siniang, the Water Hall Master of Black Mountain Stronghold, nicknamed Water Snake. Designated as a Blue-tier Chieftain, she possesses the skills [Diving] and [Silk Binding Hand].

Five: Yuan Hei, the Wind Hall Master of Black Mountain Stronghold, nicknamed Night Cat Judge. Designated as a Blue-tier Chieftain, he possesses the skills [Spirit Cat Step] and [Night Travel Technique].

Six: The remaining Mountain Bandits, with the best among them designated as Green-tier Elites.

As the story progresses, the main chieftains and Green-tier Elites may increase or change.

Upon death, the main chieftains and Green-tier Elites are guaranteed to drop an item.

Dropped items are randomly generated by the system based on the target’s life story and include, but are not limited to, Skill Books, Construction Drawings, and resource packs. Please explore for specific details.

Special Achievement: Destroy the Black Mountain Stronghold’s Gathering Hall.

Completion of this achievement rewards a Lord Experience Package and a random Treasure Chest.

The time limit to conquer Black Mountain Stronghold is six months. After this period, the quest will be permanently canceled, and all related settings will be erased.

Ding! Nine Players have already accepted this quest.”

As the system prompts sounded, an information panel for Black Mountain Stronghold popped up in front of Wang Yi.

’The system has gamified the world, using Local Materials. It actually turned a mountain stronghold into a faction to be conquered, complete with bosses, chieftains, and elites. I wonder if the Indigenous People themselves even know about this?’

Wang Yi rubbed his chin. ’Interesting,’ he thought. He figured accepting the quest wasn’t a bad idea; the rewards seemed decent. ’But nine other Players have already taken this quest. If I want the rewards, I’ll probably have to fight for them.’

A moment later, the members of the Civilian Militia returned, all shouting boisterously. Man Datou came before Wang Yi to report, saying, ”My Lord, a group of people snuck in. Their identities and motives are unknown. One of them was already dead when we found them, and the rest got away. We were incompetent. We gave chase but couldn’t catch a single one.”

”It’s fine. Don’t worry about the intruders for now. Get some rest and prepare for the upcoming Kawu Beast invasion!”

Wang Yi nodded. ’That group was most likely sent from Black Mountain Stronghold,’ he thought. ’It must have been their appearance that triggered the extermination quest for me.’

’However, since they’re already here, escaping won’t be so easy. Just because Man Datou and the Civilian Militia couldn’t catch them doesn’t mean they’ll get away scot-free.’

’Because I still have Old Mo the Assassin!’

Time slowly passed, and the moment of the Void invasion drew ever closer...

Just then, directly south of Eggshell Village, about three hundred meters outside Wang Yi’s territory, a faint blue light suddenly flared to life.

The light formed a spiderweb-like pattern, seemingly embedded in the very air. The Void Rift was opening.

Pang Damao, standing watch in the Watchtower, was the first to spot the Void Rift. He shouted down to the others, ”Everyone, look out! Head south! There’s a strange phenomenon to the south...!”

Even as he shouted, the void passage solidified, and one after another, creatures resembling small calves began to charge out.

To call them small calves wasn’t entirely accurate. They were only the size of calves but had the appearance of adult dairy cows. Each one was stout and sturdy, fat and robust, and they let out lowing MOOS.

’So Kawu Beasts are cow-beasts?’

Wang Yi saw the small calves but wasn’t surprised. He immediately became a heartless killing machine, activated the Crossbow Machine Carriage, and began firing manically.

’If I captured these little dairy cows alive, I could definitely tame them in the Beast Cage. But I’m focused on efficiency right now. Wiping them out as fast as possible to grab the speed-clear reward is more important...’

With this in mind, Wang Yi fired his Flying Light Arrows wherever the small cows were most densely packed. Under the fierce assault, they fell in droves.

Man Datou and the Civilian Militia joined the battle as well. Wielding their Sha River Overlord Spears, they left the center open and attacked the small cows from the flanks.

The Sha River Overlord Spears were sharp, and whenever their Horizontal Cut special effect triggered, they were guaranteed to inflict massive damage. Man Datou and his men also had two Giant Scorpion Mounts, so their killing efficiency wasn’t low, either.

Naturally, the Territory Guardian Beast, Gegeda, also joined the fight.

This creature was the truly formidable one. It charged into the herd, striking with its giant beak like a chicken pecking at grain. One peck, one kill. A single swipe of its claws could clear out a huge swath of them.

Its immense size and enormous strength allowed the Guardian Beast to display astonishing combat power. The small cows were completely powerless to resist. It was a one-sided slaughter!

Of course, the 15 Combat Chickens were another story. They were complete weaklings, not daring to advance. They just flapped their wings in the rear like a cheerleading squad, squawking, ”GE-GE-DA! GE-GE-DA!”

In less than half an hour, all 3,000 Kawu Beasts were slain. The scene was a river of blood, a total mess.

At that moment, Wang Yi received a series of pleasant system notifications: ”Ding! Congratulations on successfully defending against the third wave of the Void invasion. You have absorbed 3,500 points of Chaos Energy from the Void Rift. Your territory has expanded to a one-li radius, and you have been rewarded with 33 Gold Coins and the [Construction Drawings for the Heart of Chaos].”

”Ding! Congratulations on placing among the top one hundred for fast clears on this world’s Eastern Continent! As an additional reward, you will receive one Chaos Blind Box and one Green Chaos Egg!”

”Ding! You have successfully repelled the first three Void invasions. Congratulations on establishing a foothold in this world. However, the invasions will not stop. The Chaos Star Sea is reawakening, the endless Power of Creation is stirring, and the real challenge is just beginning!”

”Ding! Please be advised: the fourth wave of the Void invasion will begin in a few days, and its difficulty will be significantly increased. If your Heart of Chaos is destroyed, you will lose your status as a Lord and be forcibly re-classed as an Adventurer (Wandering Player)!”

”Ding! Void invasions will no longer be synchronized. Invading monsters will be randomly generated, the difficulty will fluctuate within a certain range, and reward items will also be randomized.”

”Ding! This game is about freedom and randomness. If you persist on the path of a Lord, developing your territory and cultivating subordinates, you can expand your borders and vie for supremacy over the world. In the future, you could become the Master of Xuanhuan, control a Science Fiction City, rule a Magical Kingdom, or even evolve your own unique ecosystem...

”Alternatively, if you become an Adventurer, you can freely explore the wider world. You might become a Cultivator, an inventor, or a Superpower User; you could mutate into a beast, or even survive a tribulation and ascend to godhood...”

”Ding! The Realm of Imagination has opened its gates to you. It is a place filled with opportunity, yet also incomparably cruel. Enjoy the game!”