Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Unbeknownst to Lin Mu, Huang Yang was blushing with embarrassment at that moment, along with his clan's younger generation.

Because the group of weasels dispersed, they took advantage of the gap when the ferocious beasts were leaving their dens to participate in the beast tide, and went directly to steal people's homes.

The harvest... was incredibly bountiful!!!
They are still quite benevolent in their actions; they only steal things and do not kill the cubs or guards left in the nest. Even when they are discovered, they do not resist and simply endure the attack to escape.

They clearly understand one principle: leave room for maneuver in all things, so that you can meet again in the future.

However, when they returned laden with their spoils, Master Huangyang reappeared. Left with no other choice, the weasels reluctantly handed over some of their treasures to Huangyang.

The reason for the argument with Huang Yang was their disagreement over whether to steal something from the Azure Dragon Forest.

"Believe me, even if Azure Dragon is a peak-level divine beast of the ninth realm, it's impossible for it to come back alive. Lady Long Ying will definitely crush it!" Huang Yang said confidently.

However, Huang Yang was unaware that this statement would become a stain on his boasting...

"No, the Azure Dragon Forest is vast, stretching for hundreds of miles. There are still Azure Dragons inside... and the Grass Dragon Clan guards the spirit fields of the Azure Dragon Forest. Many of them are even divine beast-level Grass Dragons... No... no..." The weasel, a five-elemental divine beast, kept shaking its head, looking as if it would rather die than go.

"The Grass Dragon Clan is the most skilled and best at cultivating spiritual plants... I never expected that they still exist in the Divine Continent..." Huang Yang exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course they are! They're in charge of cultivating the Dragon Blood Divine Tree, and the Dragon Blood Divine Fruit they produce every year is a priceless spiritual fruit... If I had the chance to taste it, I would die without regrets..."

"This item is worth 100,000 spirit stones... I heard that many spirit stone vein seeds were gestating in the mountains and rivers before, but so far no spirit stone vein has actually been born..." A weasel sighed, its lewd eyes full of amazement and regret.

“Because of that influence, and the special rules that restrict it, spiritual veins may not be born in the Seven Desolate Mountains... This place is our confinement... How can we be allowed to revive here…” Another weasel shook its head and sighed.

Upon hearing this, Huang Yang's face showed a hint of emotion... He knew a little about the situation in the Seven Desolate Mountains, but back then he was just a very small weasel, not even a demon soldier, just like a cannon fodder cannon general of the yellow rank in the weasel clan now...

"As time flows by, the world changes... What's past is past... That once mighty dynasty has become dust in the long river of time!"

"Some guys still dream of restoring the glory of ancient times, but unfortunately, the trendsetters of the times are already new people... The new wave pushes the old wave, and the old wave dies on the beach..." Huang Yang sighed.

Clearly, he knew many secrets of the ancient world.

"Alright... let's not get off topic... are you going or not...? If you gain anything, I'll refine some divine-grade pills for you, and they can even help you break through to the Spirit Fusion God General level..."

Upon hearing this, the weasels' eyes widened, clearly showing their interest... Using their ancestral status to pressure them would only make them resist, since the connection between them wasn't very deep... But if they were lured with benefits, the situation would be different!
Therefore, Master Huangyang's negotiation skills were still lacking. If it were Lin Mu, the matter might have been settled on the first negotiation!
Seeing the reaction of these weasel pups, Huang Yang finally realized... These little guys are greedy!

After some friendly 'persuasion,' those few divine-level weasels let out a howl, bringing with them hundreds of thousands of weasels from the entire valley...

Even the wolf cubs, barely a year old, howled and followed along...

……

Qingyuan City.

After the Azure Dragon ceased fighting and left, the Great Wilderness Territory spent considerable effort to completely wipe out all the ferocious beasts that had flooded into the city.

They still wanted to escape, but entering the city was like falling into a trap. The Great Wilderness Territory would not allow these rare and ferocious beast corpses to escape!

Lin Mu stood on the city wall, looking down at the inner city.

At this moment, smoke and fire filled the city, all caused by attacks from ferocious beasts. Many streets within the city were destroyed, and numerous planned and initially constructed residences and shops were also damaged.

Then he turned around and looked out of the city.

Compared to the battlefield inside the city, the battlefield outside was even more terrifying. Many of the continuous mountain ranges had disappeared, either collapsed or completely annihilated...

The numerous huge craters scattered throughout the area testified to the ferocity of the battle.

The air was still thick with the stench of blood, and various mottled elemental energies permeated the air... The burnt smell of the collision wafted from both sides.

Beneath the city walls, countless citizens were processing the carcasses of the ferocious beasts. While wiping out the remaining beasts within the inner city, Lin Mu had actually returned to True Dragon City once, using the Purple Evolution Cave Heaven Ring to summon 30,000 hastily assembled butchers!

They came to quickly dispose of the beast carcasses. They were quite valuable.

However, due to the intensity of the battle, the corpses of killers from various races were mixed together, and their blood had mingled, losing its purity and significantly reducing its value. Nevertheless, the corpses were still warm, and contained a considerable amount of high-quality beast blood.

The meat of those ferocious beasts is also of the highest quality; it can be cooked into food that increases one's fundamental attribute points...

Although the extent of the losses during the city's defense is unknown, the value of the beast's remains has more than compensated for the losses.

After glancing at the busy figures below the city wall, Lin Mu looked up and gazed into the distance.

According to estimates, the number of ferocious beasts attacking this time may be far greater than expected, at least 2.5 million, and possibly even 3 million!

The Seven Desolate Mountains are home to such a terrifying herd of ferocious beasts! It's terrifying!!
Both players and locals underestimated the profound significance of these ancient mountain ranges.

"After killing a million ferocious beasts, at least two million of them ceased fighting... Many of my trump cards were useless..." Lin Mu sighed inwardly.

In this battle, he didn't even use the Martial God Pill. It wasn't that he was stingy with it or lacked it; it was just that he felt his strength was sufficient to cope with the pressure from the ferocious beasts he faced, so he didn't use it for the time being.

He sensed that the beast tide was endless, stretching for miles, with ferocious beasts seemingly without end, so he kept his trump card up and didn't use it yet.

They originally wanted to use the Dragon-Tiger Bond and other similar abilities, since they didn't require any cost. However, Yu Jin and the others discussed it while fighting and decided to postpone it.

Even the Soul Shadow technique from the Heavenly Dragon Minister Ranking was not used for the time being. This was because the defenses of the Great Wilderness Territory could still hold. Although a few escapees had managed to sneak into the city, they were few in number, and there was no sign of a complete collapse.

But if the ferocious beasts continue to appear and the group can barely hold on, then they can use their trump cards.

According to the estimates of Yu Jin and Yue Jin, this situation is likely to occur after one incense stick has burned.

Because the defenses of the Great Wilderness Territory have begun to weaken, more than 300,000 soldiers have gone back to revive...

But just before the Great Wilderness Territory was about to reveal its trump card, the beast tide stopped... and retreated!
This is completely different from the siege beast hordes controlled by the system!
"The Seven Desolate Mountains definitely hold a great secret!!!" Lin Mu murmured softly as he gazed deeply into the misty depths of the mountains.

"Tap tap!~~~" A hurried footstep sound came.

Cui Wu rushed over.

Lin Mu turned to Cui Wu, who was walking over, and asked, "Have the casualty statistics been released?"

"My lord... this loss is quite significant..."

“Thirty-one thousand three hundred and twenty craftsmen died... Most of them were from the city lord's mansion who couldn't escape and were caught in the crossfire... They had no chance of being resurrected... They all perished.”

"In addition, 13,775 Ji Province halberd warriors were permanently killed in action!!!"

"They were also affected." A solemn expression appeared on Cui Wu's face.

In the Great Wilderness territory system, the Jizhou Halberdiers will definitely become the core legion, and there has never been a core legion with more than 10,000 permanent casualties before. This is the first time!
"Tell the Duke that the compensation for the fallen soldiers will be distributed according to the highest standards, and their families will be arranged to live in more comfortable areas of the Great Wilderness Territory. The land they are allocated will be exempt from taxes for three years, and the children left behind will be supported by the territory until they reach adulthood. The elderly, women, and children will all be cared for by our Great Wilderness Territory!" Lin Mu said firmly.

"Yes!" "What about other situations?"

"Besides the casualties, there are also buildings... In the valley where the City Lord's Mansion is located, apart from the City Lord's Mansion, everything else has basically collapsed or disappeared... The loss of buildings is at least 100,000!!"

Because the buildings were so badly damaged, and with everyone focused on dealing with the beast carcasses, there weren't enough people to tally the damage. They could only give a quick glance and then compile the figures.

"Sigh... The buildings constructed to meet the prosperity requirements... are now 30% destroyed... The loss is considerable." Lin Mu nodded slightly, a sigh appearing on his face, and a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.

The intensity of this beast tide far exceeded everyone's expectations. Even with preparations, the strength of the beast tide was still underestimated.

Even if most of the military strength of the Great Wilderness Territory is gathered here, a price still cannot be avoided.

"I should have brought all the other attacking legions, even the flying units, and given them a good beating!" Cui Wu said bitterly.

"I never expected it to turn out like this..." Lin Mu sighed.

"My lord, we've now formed a grudge with those guys. If there's an opportunity in the future..." Cui Wu said, making a throat-slitting gesture with a meaningful look.

"I have a feeling this isn't the last battle. This is just a temporary ceasefire; the flames of war will rise again!" Lin Mu said meaningfully, his eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed at the mountains shrouded in thick clouds on the horizon.

The wind, carrying wisps of smoke, blew past his clothes. He knew in his heart that this beast tide was just the beginning. The Seven Desolate Mountains held too many secrets, and more turmoil awaited the Great Wilderness Territory.

Moreover, he was somewhat looking forward to the system notification after successfully defending the city, because there was a high chance of a special reward!
Afterwards, Lin Mu gave Cui Wu some more instructions, and Cui Wu quickly left.

Just then, the long-awaited system notification finally arrived:
"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, your people have wiped out all the ferocious beasts that breached the city. You have won this battle to defend the city."

"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, your subordinate territory [Qingyuan City] has been officially promoted to a county town."

Two expected system notifications appeared.

"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, you have won the battle against the mysterious force [****] and completed the hidden achievement [Ancient War]. You will receive a reward."

"--bite!"

"--System prompt: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, due to special circumstances, are you willing to exchange all your achievement rewards for a mysterious and unknown item reward? Note that the rewards you receive include five dragons' luck, two hundred tigers' luck, five hundred oxen's luck, 10 points of national legend points, a huge amount of reputation, and seven rare item rewards. Please choose carefully."

Then, two unexpected yet reasonable system notifications appeared.

“Mysterious forces [****]... As expected, they are organized... The Seven Desolate Mountains are not simple. They are not just some ancient desolate mountains, but hide a terrifying force... Could it be that some ancient clans or the Hundred Schools of Thought are also hidden within them?!” Lin Mu murmured softly.

Although the name of that faction wasn't shown, it was definitely not simple.

"Regardless, I've still achieved the hidden achievement... But, should I exchange all the rewards for a mysterious, unknown item?"

Lin Mu frowned upon seeing this unexpected system notification.

Are all those achievement rewards used to exchange for a single item reward?
That's a bit risky...

However, there must be a reason why the system created this specifically...

That unknown item might be more valuable than any of the rewards...

"Damn...should we change it?" At this moment, Lin Mu really hesitated.

"If the mysterious item is the Nine Cauldrons of the Divine Land, it would be a huge loss not to exchange for it... Although the chances of this happening are extremely low... it's still possible..."

"Should we exchange them?" There's a considerable amount of those luck-generating items; if we could acquire them, it would significantly strengthen the foundation of the Great Wilderness Territory...

"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, due to the influence of special rules, your [City Source Power Soul Fish Pool] has been buffed. It has successfully absorbed the ancient city source power of the Divine Land, adding two hundred soul fish that can be bound to first-class and below historical generals, and adding two hundred thousand ordinary soul fish."

Just as he hesitated, the system notification continued to sound.

"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, your [City Source Power] +500000."

"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, your subordinate territory [Qingyuan City] can generate 1000 points of [City Source Power] daily."

"--bite!"

"--System notification: Dragon Lord Lin Mu, due to the influence of special rules, your subordinate county-level territory [Qingyuan City] has been granted an additional 200,000 slots for Daoist troop promotion. Please protect the human city [Qingyuan City]."

"Huh... there's such a gain?! More than 200,000 bound slots... plus the Heroic Spirit Crystals, that's enough to resurrect the entire Jizhou army!" Lin Mu was overjoyed.

"Furthermore, Qingyuan City actually increased the number of Great Wilderness Xuanwu Guards who could change jobs by 200,000... This is definitely not simple, not simple at all!" When Lin Mu pondered this, his surprise disappeared, and his face became solemn.

"Please protect the human city of Qingyuan..." Lin Mu repeated, these words were definitely not simple... they seemed to be a system instruction... representing the perspective of the human race!
"It seems we've truly become entangled in some ancient and mysterious karmic connections..." Lin Mu sighed softly.

After that, there were the usual system prompts, such as appointing a county magistrate, the ownership of a city, tax rates, etc. Lin Mu only glanced at these and ignored them.

"Why are there no further system notifications? This seems different from the situation on the Great Plains... Could I have guessed wrong?" Lin Mu frowned.

After waiting for a while, Lin Mu's heart sank slightly when he found that the expected system notification had not appeared.

If we continue to expand our territories in the Seven Desolate Mountains, will it end up like the Great Plains?

"It seems the two situations are somewhat different... Could it be a divine force?"

"Bang!~~~" At this moment, a series of dull sounds rang out.

That was the sound of buckets filled with the blood of ferocious beasts being placed on the ground.

Lin Mu looked down and saw Huang Zhong and the others busy at work. Even bodyguard Wang Yue was helping out in the crowd.

With concerted efforts, we can overcome any obstacle!

(I got home late from work tonight, so I quickly wrote 4400 words and won't split it into two chapters; I'm too tired.) (End of Chapter)