Boom!
Inside the territory’s “Military Workshop,” Xia Tian and Wu Song were testing the finished product of a new ‘ballista’ blueprint that had been opened last night.
Of course, it wasn’t the silver-quality single-shot ballista directly obtained from a treasure chest, but rather the golden-quality ‘multi-shot ballista’ acquired by spending 100 points of destiny power on “Turning Stone into Gold”!
It must be said, the ballista truly lived up to its reputation as the most powerful siege weapon in ancient times.
A crossbow bolt, over two meters long, was installed with the help of a winch. Propelled by multiple bowstrings working in unison, it could pierce through walls made of bluestone at close range!
Its maximum effective range could reach nearly one kilometer.
It also had a multi-shot mode, allowing for close-range “scattering,” with power no less than that of the Divine Arm Crossbow!
“Unfortunately, we only have one Golden Winged Dragon.”
“Otherwise, with this ballista paired with high-quality arrowheads, we might actually have a chance to ‘slay a dragon’!”
Xia Tian expressed great satisfaction, his confidence in defending his territory during tomorrow’s “second fusion” growing even stronger.
“Your territory resident, Hao Danu, has completed the ‘Golden Hero · Gao Shun · Secret Realm Challenge,’ and you have received a reward — ‘Blood Fiend Trapped Formation Battle Codex’!”
Just then, a prompt appeared in his mind.
“Hmm, Danu actually completed the Gao Shun challenge in one go?”
Actually, among the three challengers, Danu was the one Xia Tian had the least confidence in.
After all, although Shen Lian was only a blue-level talent, he surpassed Danu in terms of level, intelligence, and characteristics.
Most importantly, Shen Lian challenged the secret realm of the silver-level hero “Li Hong,” while Danu challenged the secret realm of the golden-level hero “Gao Shun.”
Therefore, Xia Tian had never expected Danu to succeed on his first try.
He had only thought of using the two chances to try once and gain experience.
This new message was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.
And even more surprises came from the item obtained after completing the secret realm challenge.
It was a book made of gold, with a relief sculpture on its surface depicting a group of soldiers fighting on a battlefield. Each soldier was enveloped in a faint bloody aura, and when one gazed at it, it felt as if one could hear the clang of weapons, the thunderous roars, shaking the soul.
“Blood Fiend Trapped Formation Battle Codex (Gold)”
“Level: Transcendent”
“Trait: Blood Fiend Power (Can increase one’s level through the blood fiend power of the battlefield; veteran soldiers who have fought countless battles and survived will cultivate faster)”
“Description: A derivative item from the hero Gao Shun, containing the secrets of ‘battle formations’ and ‘blood fiend tempering’.”
“Note: Blood fiend qi is a special anomalous energy formed after slaughter on the battlefield, containing immense ‘resentment.’ Therefore, practitioners of this cultivation method need to be fearless of death, and at the same time, must have something they ‘care about’ in their hearts to avoid becoming mere killing machines!”
“Hiss, as expected of a golden hero’s reward. Although it’s not like a ‘Transcendent Elixir’ that allows individuals to surpass their limits.”
“But for the territory, its value can be said to be even greater.”
Xia Tian beamed with joy.
“This cultivation method should be exclusive to the ‘Trapped Formation Camp’.”
Xia Tian judged.
“Because ordinary armies probably wouldn’t dare to cultivate using this ‘blood fiend power.’ Only the soldiers of the Trapped Formation Camp, who, despite being silver-quality, possess golden-level combat power and the ‘Will to Trap the Enemy’ trait, can cultivate it!”
“Moreover, the more daring the soldiers are in charging into battle, the faster they will cultivate this method, and the higher levels they will be able to reach.”
Although the “Heaven and Earth Fusion” had not yet begun, and spiritual energy had not appeared, the detailed cultivation method was still blank.
But this cultivation method was enough to significantly enhance the combat power of the Trapped Formation Camp.
“Danu, you’ve truly rendered great service this time. You truly are a ‘lucky general’.”
Xia Tian’s face showed admiration.
“Lord, Vice Commander Hao is requesting an audience outside.”
At this moment, a soldier from the Trapped Formation Camp walked in to report.
“Let him come in. He’s a meritorious subject!”
Xia Tian said with a smile.
He was also eager to see Danu and inquire about the details of the secret realm challenge.
“Lord, I’m sorry, please punish me!”
Who would have thought that as soon as Danu entered, he immediately knelt before him.
He even started wailing in front of a crowd of people in the military workshop!
“What’s going on?”
His actions left Xia Tian a bit bewildered.
The key was that Danu was clearly extremely remorseful, only crying on his knees and not even answering questions from those around him!
“What’s wrong, my son?”
It wasn’t until Danu’s mother, who was sewing leather armor for the “soldiers” in the nearby “weaving” workshop, received the news and rushed over.
“Mom, I made a mistake…”
Only then did Danu, still on his knees, speak amidst sobs.
“In the secret realm, you, Lord, and my mother were both captured by a group of monsters. General Gao Shun made me choose one to rescue… I chose to save you first, Mom.”
Although after killing a group of lizardmen and saving his mother, Danu immediately disregarded his serious injuries and ran to save “Xia Tian.”
But just then, the secret realm disappeared!
“You… you scoundrel… What have I been telling you these past few days… How can the life of an old woman like me be more precious than the Lord’s life?”
Upon hearing these words, Danu’s mother’s eyes immediately turned red. She reached out to hit Danu, but her palm softened as it landed on his body.
Then, this woman, who was actually only in her forties but considered herself an “old woman” from the Song Dynasty, hugged Danu, who was almost as tall as her even while kneeling, and the mother and son cried together.
“So that’s what happened…”
After understanding the situation, Xia Tian’s expression was a mix of amusement and exasperation as he watched this scene.
While having people help Danu and his mother up, he also felt a sense of confusion.
He had some understanding of Gao Shun’s life. When Lu Bu was defeated at Xiapi, he was betrayed by many, and many of his subordinates actively surrendered to Cao Cao. Only Chen Gong and Gao Shun refused to surrender and died with Lu Bu.
From this perspective, if he himself had entered the secret realm to participate in the challenge and was in Danu’s position, he would have chosen to save “himself.”
After all, in his eyes, Gao Shun was someone who valued “loyalty” more than his own “life.”
Even though historically, Gao Shun was not well-regarded by Lu Bu and was not a true confidant, he was still willing to die for Lu Bu in the end, which already falls into the category of “foolish loyalty.”
And since ancient times, there has been a saying, “Loyalty and filial piety cannot be perfectly balanced.”
According to his view, Danu, in a sense, made the wrong choice, choosing the “filial piety” of saving his mother rather than the “loyalty” of rescuing him, the Lord.
But the result was “challenge successful,” allowing him to receive the reward bestowed by the will of the Earth.
“Hiss, this is a bit perplexing… Could it be that Gao Shun secretly preferred the challenger to choose ‘filial piety’ over ‘loyalty’? Or perhaps both choices were not wrong, and the real test was just the earlier battles, and this final choice of saving someone wasn’t important?”
Xia Tian pondered thoughtfully.
The answer, perhaps, could only be found by asking Gao Shun himself once he truly descended upon the Eternal Land.
According to the rules, the hero would descend near the territory that completed the challenge and ranked first.
Xia Tian didn’t know Danu’s ranking in completing Gao Shun’s challenge secret realm!
But he had a vague feeling. Perhaps, this “lucky general” could indeed bring him a golden hero.
“Danu, you didn’t do anything wrong. The test of this secret realm wasn’t combat power, but your judgment.”
“My strength is much greater than yours, who is only at the seventh rank. How could I possibly need you to save me? Therefore, the requirement to complete the secret realm was for you to save your mother! It’s because General Gao Shun knew you were foolish that he used this method to test you. Thankfully, your filial piety accidentally hit the mark.”
“Now, quickly help your mother back to the house, and then diligently cultivate the ‘Iron Arm Golden Blade Art’ I gave you yesterday. Tomorrow, I will check your progress.”
After Xia Tian figured it out, he began to admonish Danu with a stern face.
He knew very well that Danu’s mother was sad because she was afraid that her son’s actions would create a “rift” in his heart, the Lord.
But leaving aside that the incident only happened in the secret realm, even if it had truly occurred, he could understand Danu making those choices.
However, speaking of which, Xia Tian had always thought that the effect of “Golden Platform, Overlord’s Demeanor” was similar to “brainwashing,” making territory residents unconditionally prioritize their Lord!
But now it seemed that while the Golden Platform indeed influenced residents’ attitudes towards their Lord, it did not obliterate the deepest emotions in their hearts.
This, in fact, was not a bad thing.
The biggest difference between humans and many animals lies in their emphasis on “emotions.”
Like the alien humans mentioned by that Lord in the chat channel yesterday, where even newborn infants were taken and eaten by half-dragons, and only numbness remained, that was the true tragedy of humanity.
“Yes! Lord, I will definitely work hard.”
Xia Tian’s words immediately stopped Danu’s crying, and he and his forty-something-year-old mother both returned.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect this first secret realm to give me quite a surprise. I wonder what challenges Hua Rong and Shen Lian faced? And what kind of rewards will they receive!”