I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1188 Ultimate Mission in a Crisis
As Saint Dina recounted her story, Su Yao and the others quickly gained a certain understanding of the scenes in her dream.

According to Dina, in that dream, Rome did not appear as the glorious and eternal city, but was shrouded in an ominous darkness.

The once smooth and shiny marble floor was now covered in blood, littered with the corpses of Han Chinese, Roman soldiers, and civilians.

The Temple of Jupiter atop Mount Capitol no longer shines with the light of the sacred fire.

At the summit of that high mountain, a strange rhomboid crystal could be vaguely seen. It was about half the height of a person, pitch black, and spinning rapidly, as if it were swallowing up even the surrounding light.

Even more disturbing was the countless twisted, tormented phantoms of souls swirling around the crystal. They wailed silently, yet were firmly bound to the crystal, transforming into streams of dark red energy that were drawn into its interior.

“In my dream, I could clearly feel that thing… it was ‘breathing,’ it was ‘growing.’” Dina’s voice was filled with barely suppressed fear. “It was like a living abyss, feeding on death and blood. And when it spun to its limit, I saw… I saw Your Majesty…”

She looked at Su Yao, her eyes filled with worry: "You stood in the Roman Forum, but the warm and dazzling golden light that once surrounded you became extremely dim, even... disappeared. You tried to summon lightning, but only faint sparks flickered at your fingertips; you wanted to leap into the air, but it was as if you were bound by invisible chains..."

"In the end, the all-consuming darkness swallowed you up, leaving not even a trace, as if you had never existed in the world."

Dina knelt down with a thud and pleaded, "Great Holy Lord, please order the westward expedition to stop. There is no glory or victory there, only endless darkness and destruction."

Dina's voice trembled with tears, her forehead pressed against the cold ground: "That omen was too ominous. I cannot stand by and watch you step into such a desperate situation!"

The hall was deathly silent, save for Dina's suppressed sobs and the crackling of the torches. Zhou Yu and Guo Jia wore grave expressions. Although they didn't entirely believe in the so-called oracle, the details Dina described—the city of seven hills, the Tiber River, Mount Capitoline, and the Temple of Jupiter—perfectly matched those of Rome. It was unlikely that a saint who had lived in the East for so long could have fabricated such a story out of thin air.

Dina's description was particularly detailed; the soul-devouring crystals and the darkness that suppressed divine power far exceeded their understanding of "war." Forcing an advance would indeed carry immeasurable risks.

Guo Jia gently waved his feather fan and pondered, "Your Majesty, it is better to believe it than not. If the Romans truly possess some kind of... evil magic that can restrain Your Majesty's divine power, our army's hasty advance will indeed be fraught with unforeseen dangers."

Zhou Yu stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, although the navy is established, the land offensive is hampered by the Balkan mountains, and General Guan Yu’s progress in North Africa is also slow. It would be better to postpone the plan to directly attack Rome, first consolidate the occupied territories, eliminate the remaining Roman navy, cut off its wings, and then plan for the root cause.”

The two were in agreement.

Although the progress of the Han Dynasty in various aspects has slowed down, it is still going smoothly. There is no need to rush to launch a lone attack on Rome. It would be better to proceed step by step, gradually advancing the battle line, and then launch an attack when the main army has gathered in Rome.

Moreover, during this time, they would have more time to investigate whether the saintess's oracle was true, as well as the truth behind the strange crystal, and to find a way to break it.

Su Yao listened silently to the advice of his two trusted advisors, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, producing a dull sound. His gaze drifted to the window of the main hall, as if he could pierce through time and space to see the City of Seven Hills shrouded in an ominous shadow.

Dina's prophecy resonated with a vague unease within him. There was another reason he rushed back to Europe so quickly, a reason he had never told anyone.

That is, the Western expeditionary forces are providing them with less and less "experience".

It's important to know that in the world of Dynasty Warriors, even assigned troops that you don't personally command will provide your character with a certain amount of experience after the battle.

Su Yao's westward expedition was a process of constantly replenishing his strength as the army fought in the north and south. During this time, he successfully broke through his long-standing constraints, reached a new level, and completely transcended the realm of mortals.

However, all of this changed three months ago.

While he was in the country, he suddenly realized that he was gaining less and less experience from the front lines.

He initially thought it was because the frontline troops were advancing rapidly, causing the enemy to surrender at the mere sight of them, thus reducing the number of enemy casualties. However, it wasn't long before Su Yao realized from the changes in the battle lines on the system map that things were probably not that simple.

However, just now, he simply thought that it was probably because he had leveled up to a certain point and his experience gain was not keeping up.

But if what Dina said is true, could that all-devouring crystal be the power that he intercepted halfway through?

Damn it, how dare they steal my experience points! This is outrageous!

"No! The plan remains unchanged!"

After a moment of contemplation, Su Yao decisively said, "Taking it one step at a time is indeed the safest approach. But have you considered that if that crystal is truly, as Dina said, an evil entity that grows by devouring blood and souls, then every day we delay, its power will increase!"

"We're slowly advancing along the surrounding fronts. How many lives will we lose along the way? How much nourishment will we provide to that evil creature?"

"I fear that by the time my army has gathered beneath the walls of Rome, that evil creature will have grown to an unimaginable size. At that point, not only me, but the entire army will likely become its sacrifice!"

"But."

Before Guo Jia could finish speaking, Su Yao interrupted him: "No buts! We must destroy it with overwhelming force before it fully matures! Otherwise, the consequences will be dire!"

Su Yao's will is absolute.

Thanks to his insistence, the plan for the large-scale military operation was not delayed at all.

However, he wasn't acting blindly, nor was he going to his death without any plan.

After all, the strange crystal's behavior had already touched the source of his power, and it might even have originated from the same source as his system—the ability to intercept his "experience" and suppress the divine power brought by the system was something that no ordinary evil thing could do. There must be some secret behind it related to the system and his own transmigration.

Therefore, while maintaining strict secrecy, Su Yao slightly adjusted the destination of this naval raid, changing it from Rome to Sicily.

Su Yao decided to first land on the large island at the southern tip of the Italian peninsula, and test the evil creature's reaction from a relatively safe distance.

He needed to ascertain the extent to which the crystal could suppress his power and the scope of its influence.

And that's when.

On the day Su Yao swore an oath to set off for the expedition, as he stood on the deck of the Dingyuan, the system suddenly sent him an emergency mission, something that was unprecedented for him.

Destroy the "Anchor of Time and Space"

[Mission Level: SSS (Ultimate Crisis Mission)]

[Mission Objective: Destroy the "Anchor of Time" before it fully solidifies. Solidification Progress (43/100)]

[WARNING: An unknown "spacetime anomaly anchoring device" has been detected and anchored in this world! Target location: Capitol Hill, Rome! Within the anchor's influence area, system functions will be suppressed to varying degrees. Please formulate your battle plan carefully.]

(End of this chapter)