"Howl, squeak, roar…"
Under the moonlight, a multitude of gleaming eyes could be seen flickering within the swaying jungle.
Following closely, numerous creatures charged out: gray wolves with two heads, blue monkeys with three eyes, fiery red lizards, and the second-tier creature familiar to Xia Tian, the Antlered Rabbit.
"Mommy, I'm scared!"
Within the territory, a little girl who had been happily gnawing on a bone burst into tears out of fright.
"These monsters… they're coming for us!"
Even the adults looked panicked.
Xia Tian took the opportunity to observe his people. It was clear that in their tension, they had forgotten about being blocked by an invisible wall when they approached Xia Tian's territory that afternoon.
"Women, take the children back inside. The rest of you, grab your things and prepare to fight."
Wu Song shouted, then rushed back into the house to retrieve his pu dao.
Not only him, but several other people also immediately grabbed their weapons and prepared for battle. These were the yamen runners who had served under Wu Song when he was the head constable in Yanggu County.
Xia Tian had designated these individuals as the first batch of "recruits" for the Assault Camp!
Bang, bang, bang… One monster after another, in their frantic rush, slammed hard into the invisible barrier surrounding the territory, instantly knocking themselves out. Some even died on impact.
But even so, a large number of animals continued to run wildly through the jungle, like a torrent sweeping past the outskirts of the territory. All of this was naturally not a monster siege, but because of the group of strange birds in the sky with green ghost flames burning on their wings!
【Ghost Vulture (Green)】
【Level】Tier 7
【Type】Variant
【Physique】5.5
【Spirit】5.3
【Description】The ghost fire on the Ghost Vulture's feathers can emit light at night. The scale powder scattered downwind will cause creatures to fall into a "soulless" state.
【Note】Most "variants" born in the Primeval Eternal Land possess strange abilities and considerable potential.
"Variants? Another new term!"
These Ghost Vultures were not flying very high, only about twenty or thirty meters. The powerful airflow generated by their wings made the leaves below rustle, startling various creatures in the jungle, causing them to scatter and flee.
Faced with the fleeing creatures, the Ghost Vultures were not in a hurry to pursue or land and hunt. They merely shook their wings, and a ball of "ghost fire" detached, scattered by the strong wind into a sky full of green "sparks" falling into the jungle.
Creatures in the midst of fleeing, once hit by the green sparks, would quickly fall into a comatose state.
Then they would be hunted by the descending "Ghost Vultures," picked up by their bodies, and carried into the sky.
By the time they reached the sky above Xia Tian's territory, this group of Ghost Vultures already had their talons full of prey: Antlered Rabbits, Colorful Chickens, Clouded Leopards, Fish-headed people… One Ghost Vulture flying particularly high even had a comatose human clutched in its talons. This made the villagers feel incredibly fortunate in their hearts; if not for Xia Tian's protection, they too might have been carried off as food by these ghost-faced strange birds!
"Head Constable Wu, can you save that person?"
Looking at the captured human, Xia Tian asked Wu Song beside him.
"Replying to my lord, it's difficult…"
Seeing that all the monsters were blocked, Wu Song also breathed a sigh of relief. Then, facing Xia Tian's question, he chose to shake his head.
These Ghost Vultures didn't fly too high. With his superhuman strength, throwing stones into the sky to kill a few Ghost Vultures wasn't a difficult task.
The problem was that if the Ghost Vulture died and the captured person fell to the ground, they would most likely not survive!
"Then don't save them."
Xia Tian said decisively.
Killing one of these group-dwelling creatures might provoke the hostility of the entire flock.
Wu Song was indeed very strong, almost invincible in ground combat at the same level with his traits. But first, he was only one person. Second, with the protective barrier, there was no need to worry about these Ghost Vultures' attacks for now. But once the seven days passed and the protection was lifted, these Ghost Vultures would likely become a huge threat!
"If I had a 'Divine Arm Crossbow,' perhaps I could try to shoot down these ghost birds."
At this moment, Xia Tian heard the oldest, white-haired old man among the villagers say.
"You know about the Divine Arm Crossbow?"
Xia Tian turned his head, somewhat surprised, and asked.
"Replying to my lord, this old man once served in the army and has some understanding of the Divine Arm Crossbow's construction!"
Xia Tian suddenly understood.
The historical background of Wu Song's world was the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Divine Arm Crossbow had indeed appeared by then. Moreover, this old man's character attributes did indeed include the words "Carpenter (Proficient)," making him a green-named human elite!
"So you can make a Divine Arm Crossbow?"
"Replying to Lord Leader, this old man in the barracks only made parts like the crossbow arm and bowstring. I don't know much about the other parts… Furthermore, I don't have suitable tools, so what I make would probably be very crude and not very useful…"
The old carpenter said with some trepidation.
The Divine Arm Crossbow was the most top-tier individual weapon in the Song Dynasty. Jin Wushu once said, "The Song military's most excellent weapon is the Divine Arm Bow, followed by the heavy axe."
Therefore, to prevent the skills from being leaked, each craftsman was only responsible for a part of the "Divine Arm Crossbow." Although he had participated in its production, he could not completely build one.
"It's alright, as long as you have the experience, that's enough."
As Xia Tian spoke, he took out a stack of blueprints from his Lord's Space—it was the third golden item opened from the initial treasure chest!
【Divine Arm Crossbow Manufacturing Blueprint (Gold)】
【Level】Mortal Grade
【Trait】Strong Crossbow · Armor Penetration and Range +50%
【Description】The bow body is three feet three inches long, the string is two feet five inches long, and the range reaches over two hundred and fifty paces (three hundred meters). Its power is extremely strong, making it the pinnacle of individual crossbows.
【Note】1. Can be manufactured individually according to the blueprint. "Talents" who master relevant techniques can improve the quality of the finished product. 2. After establishing a "Armory, Military Arsenal" or similar building, it can be mass-produced quickly by consuming "Luck"!
Like the "Civilian Residence Blueprint," this "Divine Arm Crossbow Blueprint" also contained a complete and detailed manufacturing process.
However, it required an "Armory" type building for mass production. Individual production would lack guarantees in both efficiency and quality.
But for Xia Tian, who possessed the ability of "Midas Touch," as long as a finished product could be made, even if it was a gray, flawed quality, he could upgrade it to white common, green fine… and even golden rare, equivalent to master-level craftsmanship!
Perhaps it couldn't deal with the golden winged dragon he first encountered, but dealing with these Tier 7 Ghost Vultures should not be a problem.
Even after seven days, when the territory's protective shield disappeared, he would still have defensive capabilities against aerial creatures.
In fact, a bold idea emerged in Xia Tian's mind.
These "Ghost Vultures" shouldn't just pass by his territory once. The next time the Ghost Vulture flock flies over the territory with their prey, a sudden volley of powerful crossbows from below could shoot them down. This would not only resolve the threat to the territory but also turn their prey into "trophies," sweeping them all up in one go—definitely a huge gain.
Tsk, this plan really has a chance of being realized.
The Ghost Vulture flock flew away. Unlike ordinary creatures that descended from different worlds, as naturally occurring variants, they seemed to know something and did not attempt to attack the protective shield.
Instead, the residents of the territory, after confirming their safety, took the opportunity to pick up several dead Antlered Rabbits and some other creatures that had crashed. This meant they would have even more meat to eat!
Thus, Xia Tian was in a great mood. He returned to the Lord's Mansion, found a suitable vessel, poured all the Maotai into it, and then, according to the secret recipe, soaked the tiger bone in the wine. He also added the three auxiliary ingredients: "Fire Phoenix Bamboo, Ice Dragon Grass, and Earth Turtle Shell." It only needed to sit for twelve hours or more to be ready, meaning he could train the "Assault Camp" tomorrow.
Hmm, according to the information in his mind, the day and night cycle in the Eternal Land was still twenty-four hours. As for why it was the same as Earth, it was naturally because so much was given.
Speaking of Earth, Xia Tian glanced at the Lord's chat channel and found it even livelier than during the day.
After all, in just half a day, everyone's habits hadn't adjusted yet. After dark, without phones or computers, this sole place for "social chat" became an outlet to relieve internet addiction.
"Do you think Earth really exploded? Could it just be an alien game, like mass hypnosis or something…"
"I'd accept hypnosis. I was all alone on Earth, no house, no car, and owed hundreds of thousands in online loans that I couldn't repay. Now I'm not only a lord, but I also have two beautiful young girls who offered themselves to me, and they're both virgins. Even if I die now, it's worth it!"
"The comment above is disgusting. Someone like you, even if you become a lord, you're still a loser!"
"Damn it, you foul woman, say that again…"
"Oh dear, why are you arguing? Everyone's territory has similar nightfall times, which means our distances from each other shouldn't be too far. If we meet in the future, we must cooperate with each other and not engage in internal strife!"
"That's right, everyone should cooperate for mutual benefit and become gods together! I, Okamoto Shoichi, am willing to strive with everyone."
Compared to the initial panic upon arrival, most of the comments in the channel now appeared positive and optimistic.
After all, on this first day, they had obtained god-tier talents, cultivation techniques, recruited vagrants as subordinates, and some even recruited famous heroes. Inevitably, a feeling arose in their hearts that their future was limitless, that transcending into sainthood and becoming gods or immortals was just around the corner.
However, who can truly predict the future?