19: Chapter 19 New Mission

Inside the ancestral hall, incense smoke curled in the air.

But today's blue smoke no longer seemed as gentle and peaceful as before; instead, it carried a murderous and cold aura of iron-clad horses and clashing steel.

They were no longer simple expressions of reverence and prayer, but were mixed with the agonizing pain, unwillingness, and anger of the players' moments of death, along with a will for revenge that had almost condensed into substance.

These mixed and fiery emotions flowed like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, all surging toward the ancient spirit tablet in the deepest part of the ancestral hall.

Seated within the void, the "Old Ancestor"—Lu Bei—slowly opened his eyes.

His spiritual body had become a fraction more solid than ever before.

He could "see" the blacksmith shop outside the ancestral hall, where the furnace fire let out angry roars as it was fanned by the bellows;

Deep in the back mountain, a group of figures moved stealthily among swamps and poisonous weeds, boiling juices that emitted strange odors;

In the clearing, players gathered in small groups, using wooden sticks and stones to simulate charging, dodging, and throwing. Their movements were clumsy, but their eyes were like poison-quenched blades.

He could even "hear" the tumultuous tactical discussions and data analysis within the virtual space called the "Forum" deep in every player's consciousness.

Lu Bei's spiritual body trembled slightly.

What he felt was no longer just the "Power of Incense," but something more domineering and sharper.

That was... Baleful Aura!

It was the deathly baleful aura produced by the spiritual shock of dozens of players being instantly obliterated under the "Fire Rain Spell"!

It was the martial baleful aura condensed from the towering fires of revenge ignited in their hearts after they resurrected!

This power was violent and dangerous, yet it was also a great supplement.

[Warning: High concentration of 'Martial Baleful Aura' and 'Vengeful Prayer Power' detected influxing...]

[Converting into 'Essence'... Conversion rate 150%!]

[Essence reserves significantly increased...]

[System core modules are unlocking...]

A series of information streams flashed through Lu Bei's consciousness, causing even his normally placid spiritual body to ripple slightly.

"So... is this the correct way to utilize these 'Filial Sons and Virtuous Grandchildren'?" he whispered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of inexplicable sentiment and... excitement.

He had originally thought they were a group of laborers he needed to guide patiently, slowly cultivating them with missions and rewards.

It wasn't until this moment that he suddenly realized.

What he had summoned were not industrious bees at all.

They were a swarm of locusts, a school of piranhas that would fall into a frenzy at the scent of blood, a group that could be destroyed but never defeated... the fourth calamity!

Failure and death were not the end for them, but the hottest shot of adrenaline, the prelude to the next carnival.

...

Grandpa Li's blacksmith shop had never been this lively.

Usually, he only mended farm tools or forged a few crude wood-cutting knives.

But today, the place was packed to the brim with a crowd of red-eyed players radiating an aura of intense grinding.

"Shield Mountain" stood right at the front. He didn't have a blueprint in his hand; instead, he drew a sketch directly on the ground using lime.

It was a giant shield, taller and wider than a door. The surface wasn't flat but had a certain curvature, with clear interlocking structures at the edges.

"Grandpa Li, look, we don't want a single shield; we want a 'Shield Wall'." Shield Mountain's voice was steady and powerful, sounding nothing like someone who had just struggled back from the brink of death. "Every shield can be joined together like this to form a steel barrier that can't be easily broken. We need it to be thick enough, heavy enough, reinforced with iron plates, and able to withstand impacts!"

Grandpa Li puffed on his dry tobacco pipe, his cloudy old eyes looking at the sketch on the ground. Only after a long while did he smack his lips. "Are you lot... going to war?"

He had lived his whole life and had never seen a "shield" of this design.

This thing was less like a shield and more like mobile city wall bricks.

The "Demolition Office Director" leaned in and slammed a fine steel broadsword—seized from Black Wind Stockade and already chipped—onto the anvil, saying fiercely, "War? No, it's revenge! Grandpa Li, don't worry about what we're doing, just give it everything you've got! If materials aren't enough, we'll go dismantle things! If iron ore is gone, we'll go dig! As long as you can make this 'Tortoise Formation' for us, contribution points will be plenty!"

Grandpa Li fell silent as he looked at the undisguised fire in these young people's eyes.

He remembered how enraged these "youngsters" were after he was injured when that immortal named Chen Ping came.

He slowly blew out a smoke ring and tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe.

"Fine, I'll let these old bones go crazy with you once." He walked to the corner and pulled a worn, beast-hide-covered booklet from a dusty box.

"This is the 'Elementary Artifact Refining Rune Explanation' passed down through my family. I didn't have the talent and only understood the first three pages." He slapped the booklet onto the anvil with a dull thud. "It records the two simplest runes—'Solidify' and 'Sharpen'. Inscribing them requires a material called 'spirit sand,' and... it's very mentally taxing. If you're truly determined, go to that small stream in the back mountain and pan for those glowing sands for me. However much you pan, that's how much 'toughness' I can add to your 'Tortoise Shell'!"

[System Prompt: NPC 'Grandpa Li' has issued a hidden mission 【Beginning of Runes】. Players can unlock the equipment enchantment function by turning in 'spirit sand' to him.]

Shield Mountain and the Demolition Office Director exchanged a look, both seeing the wild joy in each other's eyes.

Wasn't this the "Rune Technology" they were discussing on the Forums?

!

"Dig! Dig that stream dry for me!" the Demolition Office Director shouted, raising his arm. Dozens of players behind him immediately split off, carrying hoes and shovels, charging toward the back mountain with howling cries.

...

Unlike the bustling activity at the blacksmith shop, a nauseatingly eerie atmosphere permeated the edge of a swamp in the back mountain.

"Skillful Hands Mending" was leading her "Magic-Breaking Ghost Spider Group" in a shocking R&D session for "biochemical weapons."

A large iron pot taken from the Black Wind Stockade kitchen was set over a fire. Inside, a dark green, viscous, unknown liquid bubbled, emitting a complex stench that mixed rotting water weeds, animal feces, and pungent herbs.

"No, no, the juice of the 'Sticky Glue Grass' is still too thin; it won't stick to the face!" a female player said, pinching her nose while stirring the "magic potion" in the pot with a wooden stick, her brow furrowed.

"How about adding some 'Three-Corpse Oil'?" another player suggested. "It's the oil rendered from fatty pork that's been dead for three days. It solidifies after cooling. I guarantee once it's stuck on, it won't come off!"

"That's disgusting... but I like it!"

Skillful Hands Mending commanded calmly, "Don't add the 'Prickly Grass' powder directly. Use 'Tough Pigskin' to make small pouches and turn them into throwable 'Mental Shock Bombs.' Remember, our goal isn't to break through defense, but to interrupt spellcasting! It's to make him disgusted! To make it impossible for him to concentrate! Doesn't he love being clean? Isn't he an immortal? We'll make him covered from inside out with the filth of us 'mortals'!"

Their methods were frighteningly professional.

They had a clear division of labor: some were responsible for gathering, some for brewing, and some for testing the viscosity, adhesion, and pungent odor of different formulas.

Not far from them, several players were practicing throwing at a large tree.

"Whoosh—" A mud ball wrapped in rags flew out and accurately splattered onto the tree trunk. Black juice flowed down the bark, emitting a soul-stirring stench.

"Beautiful! 'Shit-Stirrer Number One,' your move truly captures the Essence of my 'Magic-Breaking Style'!"

These female players, who usually enjoyed sewing, cooking, and decorating their small houses, no longer had their usual tranquility and gentleness on their faces. Instead, there was only a focused and dangerous fanaticism.

They were using their own methods to prepare a very special "gift" for the upcoming war.

...

The entire family territory had turned into a high-speed war machine.

And just as this fire of revenge was about to reach its peak, the cold and familiar system notification sounded in all the players' ears simultaneously.

It was the Old Ancestor!

[Server-wide Announcement: The family's disciples have shed blood on the battlefield, proving their path with their lives. Their unyielding will has moved heaven and earth. This seat is greatly pleased.]

[System Update Version 1.1 has been completed.]

[New Function: Equipment Enhancement.]

[Description: Players can go to the blacksmith shop and, at NPC 'Grandpa Li', consume contribution points and specified materials (e.g., spirit sand) to add elementary rune effects (e.g., Solidify, Sharpen, Lightness, etc.) to their equipment.]

[Contribution Shop Updated:]

[New Exchange Category: Cultivation Techniques.]

[Item Listed: Black Wind Saber Technique (Incomplete Scroll)— Exchange Requirement: 3000 contribution points, Prerequisite: 20 Strength.]

[New Family Mission: Majesty]

[Mission Type: War/Restoration]

[Mission Description: The Clear Stream Chen Family has bullied our clansmen and insulted our threshold. If this enmity is not avenged, how can we stand! From this day forth, all our clansmen shall return blood for blood and a tooth for a tooth. Spread the might of our clan and rebuild the family's Majesty!]

[Mission Objective 1: Kill any Chen Family Cultivators (Household Servants, Managers, Elders, Family Head). Based on the target's strength, rewards include massive contribution points and special exchange vouchers.]

[Mission Objective 2: Destroy or occupy any Chen Family properties (Spirit Fields, Herb Gardens, Market Shops, Spirit Stone Mines). Based on the property's value, the entire clan will share resource benefits and unlock higher-level family buildings.]

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves!

If the previous tactical discussions and material preparations were just spontaneous revenge actions by the players, then these three announcements from the Old Ancestor were equivalent to blowing the horn for a general offensive, placing an "official certification" stamp on this war of revenge!

"Holy crap! Equipment enhancement! My Tortoise Formation can become a Rune Tortoise Formation!" Shield Mountain's breathing became ragged as he looked at the announcement.

"Black Wind Saber Technique! It's a cultivation technique! I can learn skills too!!" War God Number One was so excited he almost snapped the wooden stick in his hand.

The Demolition Office Director's eyes were fixed firmly on the mission description.

"Destroy or occupy any Chen Family properties... heh, hehe... hehehehe!" He let out an ambiguous, hair-raising laugh. "Brothers, the Old Ancestor has spoken! Demolishing houses is not only legal, there are bonuses to be had!!"

The entire territory instantly boiled over!

The tragic and heavy atmosphere that had just permeated the air was replaced by an indescribable wild joy and greed.

Fear?

It had long been thrown to the back of their minds.

That high and mighty Qi Refinement Stage cultivator, that Chen Ping who not long ago was as invincible as a god, was no longer the "Daddy of the Patch" in their eyes.

He had turned into a mobile, glowing... giant treasure chest labeled with "Epic Drop"!

Deep in the ancestral hall, Lu Bei felt the incense rising from the players, mixed with greed and battle intent, and a nearly imperceptible curve formed at the corner of his spiritual body's mouth.

He slowly raised his illusory hand, as if conducting a grand symphony.