71: Mutated Hero Temple

Mythical wood?

This is good stuff!

Han Huohuo used it directly on the crystal. If the enemy's attack wasn't strong enough, the crystal would be almost indestructible.

In large-scale legion battles, it might not be as useful.

The biggest advantage is not being afraid of petty thieves causing damage.

It's equivalent to restoring full health in one hundred minutes, just like his Holy Blood Potion.

Life was peaceful. The city stopped continuous construction and entered a state of resource hoarding.

Time flew by.

The King of Northwest, Li Dingbei, had already declared himself king. No new city lords were appointed, and he didn't accept them. Imperial power had completely left the Northwest.

Not only the Northwest, but almost all of the Empire's eighteen great feudal lords no longer took the emperor seriously. The emperor's orders couldn't even leave the Capital City.

In an era of great contention, under the unexpected stirring of two small banditss, the wheels of history began to roll forward.

Thieves rose up everywhere, and beacons of war lit up the land, especially in the Southwest. The governor there was originally a second-generation good-for-nothing who couldn't control the situation at all, leading to a thousand miles of white bones and corpses strewn across the fields.

Tongtian City, hidden in a corner of this chaotic world, was like a newborn infant, fragile yet thriving.

A month later, the Moon Worship Altar was finally completed.

A silvery-white light descended from the sky. All the residents of Tongtian City felt their spirits lift, their bodies became stronger, their minds suddenly cleared, and many chronic illnesses began to gradually improve.

The power of a wonder!

Magical!

Grand!

That night, the Imperial Observatory in the Capital City saw moonlight like a radiant halo in the Northwest direction of the Empire, dazzlingly bright. A white light pierced the sky. The officials of the Imperial Observatory were so scared their faces turned pale, and they fled overnight, abandoning their posts.

"It's over, it's over. The Great Qian's destiny is exhausted! A new emperor shall rise!"

"Run quickly, there's no hope!"

Han Huohuo didn't believe any of this, nor did he know how panicked the Imperial Observatory officials were, thousands of miles away.

He was very self-aware. He was just a small bandits. Even with a city and a thousand people, compared to Li Dingbei's army of millions, he was just a drop in the ocean. They wouldn't even look at him properly.

His Tongtian City could exist because it was on the border between the Empire and the Barbarians.

It was that simple!

It had nothing to do with destiny.

The Minotaur had long since returned to Ke City. Mu Jiu intensely disliked their Chief Sardin; he was an extremely crude fellow. As soon as the Minotaur left, she immediately dismantled the Barbarians' temporary camp completely.

Han Huohuo leveled up again.

A Lord could level up through construction, gathering, and combat. So, the sporadic construction over a month, the large-scale resource gathering, and the completion of the Moon Worship Altar naturally led him to level up.

[Congratulations, Lord, you have reached Level 20]

[Ding, you have gained a new skill upon leveling up. Please choose one from the following skills: Intermediate Earth Magic & Intermediate Attack.]

Han Huohuo didn't even think and immediately chose Intermediate Earth Magic. He couldn't forget the Earth Perspective spell and was counting on it to find black oil resources.

[Lord]: Han Huohuo

[Level]: Twenty

[Attributes]: Strength 11(3), Defense 6(18), Stamina 5(9), Intelligence 8(3).

[Exclusive Skill]: Mechanical Specialization

[General Skills]: Intermediate Leadership, Primary Attack, Intermediate Wisdom, Intermediate Earth Magic.

...

[Hero has reached Level 20 and can undergo a class change. See the class change quest for details.]

Below is the detailed description of the class change quest.

[Class Change Quest]: Pass the solo trial in the Hall of Heroes. You can bring various treasures and items, but no team.

Hall of Heroes?

Must be completed solo?

This is really messed up!

Han Huohuo didn't like fighting alone. That was for a reckless person, not a Lord. But since the quest was arranged this way, he had no choice.

There were many Hall of Heroes on this land, usually in very desolate places. Ordinary people going in would only see ruins, but when a Level 20 Hero entered, they could see the real gate.

That was a trial ground specifically for Heroes.

There was a ruined Hall of Heroes in the Ten Thousand Mountains, right on top of a hillside.

Han Huohuo naturally decided to advance in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

He only told Hua Mulan and Mu Jiu about his advancement; no one else knew. Mu Jiu sewed him a very sturdy backpack using Mammoth hide as material. It was filled with dry food and water, as well as some medicine. No one knew how long the trial would take, so he brought everything.

He packed all his treasures well.

Mu Jiu also reworked his necklace, replacing the ordinary string with a very sturdy metal chain.

She also gave him a pair of athletic leather boots.

"Don't rush, be careful. I heard the Level 20 Hero trial isn't too difficult. With your strength, just be cautious."

Hua Mulan and Mu Jiu had both looked into it. The trial difficulty was very low, so they weren't particularly worried. With Han Huohuo's strength and intelligence, passing this kind of trial would be easy.

Han Huohuo nodded and walked into the God Temple with his head held high.

Originally, it was a ruin, with collapsed stone pillars everywhere. But the moment Han Huohuo walked in, the entire ruin began to emit an ethereal light.

In the strange light, the ruin seemed to transform into a magnificent Hall of Heroes. He walked all the way into the depths of the ruin.

Han Huohuo was taken aback.

The scene before him was different from the information he had received earlier.

Hua Mulan and Mu Jiu had both told him that there was a teleportation gate inside, and entering it would complete the quest.

But Han Huohuo saw two gates.

One was blue, and one was red.

That's not right?

What's going on?

[Lucky Trigger: The Hero trial has additionally unlocked Hard Mode. Passing Hard Mode can grant more basic attribute boosts.]

"Holy crap, what the hell, I just want peace and quiet, I'm not interested in Hard Mode!"

Han Huohuo had no intention of entering Hard Mode at all.

He only had one life; attributes meant nothing.

Standing before the two glowing gates, Han Huohuo was a bit confused. Which one was Easy Mode? Which one was Hard Mode?

There wasn't a single hint?

After thinking for a long time, Han Huohuo mused that generally, red represents danger and blue represents peace. Looking at the colors, the blue one should be Easy Mode.

After thinking it over again, he gritted his teeth and walked towards the blue gate.

Han Huohuo was very clever, and he guessed correctly; the blue one was indeed Easy Mode. However, just as he was about to step in, a pair of terrifying giant hands suddenly reached out from the red gate, grabbed him fiercely, and pulled him into the red gate.

"What the hell! That's not fair!"

Every cell in Han Huohuo's body struggled, but his resistance was ineffective.

He couldn't resist at all. These invisible giant hands had overwhelming power, and he was forcibly dragged into the red gate.

The gates of hell have opened, and you still want to escape?

Han Huohuo couldn't catch his breath and was almost angered to death.

........

Well, he was here now, might as well accept fate. Han Huohuo put away his grief and indignation and stood up helplessly.

An endless expanse of red earth, with sparse, withered yellow plants growing close to the ground, like a Gobi Desert.

In the distance, one could also see mountains resembling a stone forest, with over twenty pillar-like mountains, soaring into the clouds.

It was clearly noon when he entered, but upon entering, there was a setting sun hanging in the sky before him.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the Gobi, creating a desolate and poignant beauty.

Han Huohuo stared blankly. It felt like the autumn in the great Northwest, endless and uninhabited.

Most importantly, not far away, he saw a deep Great Canyon, like a sharp sword, splitting a crack directly through the Gobi.

The uncanny workmanship of nature!

Han Huohuo looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and cloudless. Because of the setting sun, there was a touch of red painting the entire landscape, and there was an Eagle King soaring in the sky.

A hot, dry wind blew past, carrying the scent of hot sand and decaying plants.