Two months later,
Tier 5 World,
Outside the Platinum-grade Treasure Dungeon
The mysterious, pitch-black gate of the ruin was embedded in the ground. The esoteric carvings radiated a heart-pounding pressure, silently marking the area with a palpable "Enter and Die" warning.
Three Tier 5 war vehicles were guarding the gate, having been there for over an hour, constantly maintaining contact with their rear command headquarters. The person appearing on their main screen was precisely Commander Mu Dehao, Deputy Commander of the Daxia Azure Dragon Legion Pioneering Army, primarily responsible for the Challenger World's development.
Yes, Mu Dehao's close attention was naturally related to Wei Huan. Even while busy constructing Azure Dragon City, he made time to focus on this treasure expedition. After all, it was a Platinum-grade Treasure Dungeon, and it was the dungeon where the Divine Beast, Mofidi, had appeared. Even in its sealed state, Mofidi's strength was beyond the challenge of current Challengers. Furthermore, the action was like snatching chestnuts from the fire, trying to seize the Divine Artifact on its body while simultaneously releasing its seal.
Humanity is still too insignificant to Mofidi. Even in its sealed state, the sheer pressure of its massive body is enough to make humans spontaneously combust, and a casual strike of a single tentacle can annihilate an entire convoy.
Mofidi first appeared in the Tier 2 world, within a similar Platinum-grade Treasure Dungeon. That time, a group of private forces accumulated enough treasure maps, summoning nearly five hundred war vehicles to develop the dungeon. At a time when Tier 3 vehicles were common, and each vehicle typically held only 5 people, this was a large-scale event of over two thousand people. However, this group underestimated the Platinum Dungeon Ruins and ultimately paid the price for their greed. They even caused Daxia's supply point near the dungeon to be destroyed, resulting in heavy casualties. Xu Qingqiang boarded his vehicle during that incident.
As a Divine Beast, Mofidi's physique transcends dimensions and time, spanning multiple worlds, always appearing in the highest-level Treasure Dungeon of the current world tier.
Treasure Dungeons are the Challenger World's final act of mercy to the defeated remnants. Races that lose the challenge are sealed inside these dungeons, living and multiplying as if in a small world. Simultaneously, they are confined to a gladiatorial arena, awaiting the challenge of the current time period's civilized race. If they win, the remnant race survives until the next season. If they lose, they become a stepping stone for others, and their racial civilization is completely extinguished.
The civilization residing in the Tier 5 world's Treasure Dungeon is undoubtedly the deceptive Remnant Clan. This clan is formidable, a mental attack-capable plant civilization that can see through all the hidden secrets deep within an enemy's heart. Although they, too, failed on the path of civilized challenge and evolution, they managed to occupy the resources of two worlds. If they could kill all the challenging civilizations that enter the current world and gain their knowledge and energy through consumption, they might still have a chance to turn the tables and fight again.
However, their conspiracy was ultimately ended by Wei Huan's knowledge and hatred of them. From the beginning, he gave them no opportunity to exploit loopholes. Furthermore, the powerful, mysterious, and skilled-at-disguise Remnant Clan, once a huge flaw was exposed by Wei Huan, ironically became the easiest civilization to kill in all of Wei Huan's Platinum-grade Treasure Dungeon explorations. Their weakness was completely exposed. Whether through infection or deception, once their "brain," hidden deep within their roots, was dug out, everything was solved. Moreover, Wei Huan, possessing the "Anchor Point," could not be deceived. Their proudest ability was useless against Wei Huan's war vehicle.
Therefore, although Mu Dehao was constantly paying attention to this Treasure Dungeon development, his expression showed little tension. He had confidence in Wei Huan.
Additionally, Wei Huan was live-streaming this Platinum-grade Dungeon operation. Although Mu Dehao could not watch the grand adventure synchronously in the Challenger World, messages about the Blue Star live stream were transmitted every now and then, letting him know that everything was fine.
The reason they have not emerged until now is twofold: firstly, although the deceptive Remnant Clan had an obvious weakness and was easy to kill, their bodies were too massive, and those colossal, sky-high leaves required a long time to completely clear out when Wei Huan only had one war vehicle. Secondly, the fight with Mofidi, of course.
Unsurprisingly, Mofidi appeared again. Wei Huan took the Divine Artifact that sealed It, which allowed It to track Wei Huan's location. The Platinum Dungeon was clearly the only entrance through which It could descend into the current world. Stronger now, Its casual flick of a tentacle felt like the end of the world.
"Rumble!"
A sound of the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting came from the black gate of the dungeon, and a strong, foul-smelling stench surged out wildly. Everyone watching the live stream knew that Wei Huan was fleeing the pursuit of the Divine Beast. As long as he ran out of the dungeon, even the powerful Mofidi could not extend its tentacles into this world. And Wei Huan, having gained another Divine Artifact, would become significantly stronger. Compared to this, the Platinum resources opened up in the dungeon were insignificant.
The scene in the live broadcast was intense and thrilling, but those with discerning eyes knew this wave was secure. Wei Huan was bound to win. Of course, a moment of tension was still necessary. The live comment section was filled with various shouts of encouragement and excitement.
Finally, a beam of light appeared ahead, and the white war vehicle sped up, successfully crashing into the light. Suddenly, like a bird escaping confinement in water, it finally spread its previously bound wings and flew into the sky.
"Swish—!"
[He's out!]
[Ahhh, Divine Artifact! Divine Artifact! Divine Artifact!]
[My goodness, I can finally breathe now. Is that a Divine Beast? I'm suffocating just looking at it through the screen. It's too huge!]
[People of Beijing City send their congratulations, wishing Colonel Wei great strength and unparalleled supremacy!]
[People of Zhou City send their congratulations, wishing Colonel Wei triumphant progress and invincibility!]
[People of Cangzhou...]
[I heard before that the Remnant Clan in the Tier 5 world is extremely deceptive and can see through humanity's deepest desires. Without preparation, our pioneering army might have suffered a major setback. It was Colonel Wei who discovered the truth, selflessly alerted the pioneering armies of all nations immediately, and even voluntarily cultivated "Anchor Points" for all countries. Thank you, Colonel Wei, for your selfless dedication. Thank you, humanity, for having you.]
[Does anyone know about the World Tree?]
[I heard that the process of obtaining the Divine Artifact also releases the Divine Beast's seal?]
[Am I the only one worried about the future?]
[Thank you, Colonel Wei, for the live stream. When are you going to the big battlefield to kill Dark Beasts? I want to see Colonel Wei's heroic figure killing Dark Beasts, and I want to see the Dark Beasts shaking with fear when they see Colonel Wei.]
[I just want to know, now that the Platinum-grade Treasure Dungeon of the Tier 5 world has been cleared and the final Boss's Divine Artifact has been acquired, are we going to the Tier 6 world?]
[One war vehicle going to the Tier 6 world? That seems a bit reckless. Maybe wait a bit longer. Taking more people up will help secure a foothold.]
[What kind of world is the Tier 6 world?]
With Wei Huan acquiring the Tier 5 world's ceiling-level Divine Artifact, even ordinary people on Blue Star knew that the Tier 5 world could no longer hold him. Going to the Tier 6 world was only a matter of time. This was a good thing. Humanity had been stuck at the Tier 4 to Tier 5 transition for three years, and it was originally estimated they would stay in the Tier 5 world for at least three years. Now, with the opportunity to advance in less than a year, people were naturally happy. However, alongside the happiness, there was concern: What would the Tier 6 world be like with just Wei Huan's war vehicle ascending? And after Wei Huan leaves, can humanity stabilize itself in the Tier 5 world?
In any case, the live comments were constantly buzzing, and for a long time after the live broadcast ended, Blue Star's news media and focus topic remained single.
However, regardless of external discussions, they had no effect on Wei Huan, who was not returning to Blue Star. The decision to go to the Tier 6 world could not be changed by mere public opinion. Going to a higher-level world meant access to better equipment. Even if he sent back Tier 6 world Silver-grade equipment, it could significantly boost the strength of Daxia's pioneering army. Moreover, he needed to scout the way for the World Tree—a giant tree to be built in the deep-sea world, a divine tree equivalent to a world. With it in the Tier 6 world, humanity would have a place to settle, and moving into the Tier 7 world would no longer be difficult.
Of course, going to the Tier 6 world is not a decision to be taken lightly. Crucially, once he completes the Tier 6 world's trial, the opening battle with the Dark Beasts will commence, and humanity must prepare for battle in advance. Humanity needs to prepare thoroughly, but speed is of the essence. Launching the war suddenly while the Dark Beasts are completely unprepared and still exploring the Tier 5 world will certainly yield huge gains.
Now that Wei Huan had acquired the long-desired Divine Artifact fragment and watched the Platinum Treasure Dungeon gate twist and finally disappear, his heart was calm. Another task was complete. There are not many things left to do in this world.
Wei Huan looked up at the three walls directly opposite his desk, which projected the figures of individuals—a total of six people. Aside from the five war vehicle commanders guarding nearby, one was Mu Dehao.
Wei Huan said: "Commander Mu, I'll be leaving now."
Mu Dehao raised an eyebrow: "Not going to rest for a bit?"
"It's fine, resting in the vehicle is also rest."
"Alright then. See you when the mission is complete."
"Goodbye."
As the call with Mu Dehao ended, the other projections disappeared. The one-way glass in the Commander Room allowed a view of the now-relaxed crew outside. It was a confrontation with a Divine Beast, after all. Even though the odds were heavily in their favor, everyone's nerves were tightly stretched. From snatching chestnuts from Mofidi's tentacles to escaping its pursuit, everyone on the vehicle was under immense tension. Now that the mission was completed, the celebratory atmosphere was still high.
Mu Zhong rose from the Vice Commander's seat and walked toward Wei Huan. Wei Huan's gaze followed him. He then lowered his feet, which were casually resting on the table, straightened his collar, and sat up straight. Mu Zhong opened the door, revealing his smiling face. Wei Huan smiled back.
Mu Zhong said: "I heard we're leaving immediately. Aren't you going to rest?"
Wei Huan replied: "I can rest in the vehicle. It's a large house, after all."
"True." Mu Zhong walked to the desk and sat on the edge. From here, he could see everything outside. He quietly felt the excited emotions of the crew members for a moment before saying: "Alright, now there's only one last thing left here. Once that task is done, we'll head for the Tier 6 Highway."
Wei Huan nodded. Naturally. He couldn't wait any longer.
It took a full ten days of driving to return from the uninhabited zone before the highly charged atmosphere on the vehicle finally subsided.
On the afternoon of the eleventh day, their war vehicle arrived at Black Tortoise City.
Black Tortoise City was built right outside the teleportation gate at the end of the Tier 5 assessment highway and is the first city humanity established upon entering the Tier 5 world. Clearly, Wei Huan came here to pick up people. He arrived on the ninth day after the assessment highway opened. The assessment would end tomorrow. The time from tomorrow noon to the evening of the second day is when those who successfully completed the assessment will emerge.
Black Tortoise City is currently overcrowded, with pioneering teams from various countries sending people over. They parked their war vehicles in the city's surface parking lot, left their vehicles to interact with each other, and a very small number waited directly outside the teleportation gate, choosing to spend the night in the wilderness.
When Wei Huan's war vehicle entered, all the Challengers moving around the city stopped what they were doing the moment they saw it. The white initial vehicle is common; any vehicle that chooses to un-cloak its customized appearance will look like this white micro-van. But in the Tier 5 world, there is only one white initial vehicle with the Daxia Azure Dragon Legion emblem painted on it.
"Wei Huan is here?"
"Yes, I heard that after he cleared the Platinum Dungeon, he headed straight for the teleportation gate. He's responsible for picking up the newcomers this time, and his war vehicle has nearly 700 empty slots. Daxia is sending quite a few strong people up this time."
"It's a shame we have our own organizations, or I'd really want to board his vehicle."
"Who wouldn't?"
The white initial vehicle slowed down as it drove through the city, heading straight for the City Lord's Mansion. News of Wei Huan's arrival spread rapidly, and many people were already looking for gifts to present when they came to pay their respects to Wei Huan. Some simply wanted to establish a connection, while others were considering joining Wei Huan's war vehicle or forming an alliance, especially small countries desperate for protection, who even prepared decent equipment with all their national resources to send to Wei Huan.
Wei Huan, however, did not lack equipment. Who wouldn't be astonished to see him "plough the land to open chests" with a 60-kilometer radius? Everyone on his vehicle has Silver-grade equipment as a baseline, and Gold-grade and Platinum-grade are regular inventory. He even sent much of the excess to the Azure Dragon Legion, arming the Challengers there.
Many people came to pay their respects, but most were blocked at the City Lord's Mansion. Wei Huan obviously could not meet everyone. For example, those thinking of boarding his vehicle were a type of person he didn't need to see at all. The war vehicle is Wei Huan's fortress, his home. Even the Challengers arranged by Daxia have to undergo repeated background checks and political review to be allowed on, let alone these foreigners with various motives.
As for those seeking an alliance, Wei Huan didn't need to meet them either; Mu Tang handled these matters. Whether a strategic alliance could be formed depended on what these people could accomplish during wartime. If it was just a temporary alliance, anyone was fine.
The remaining people who only came to pay their respects were separated based on their background and relationship. Some were leaders of major nations, and Wei Huan still needed to show some courtesy. This included some powerful Challengers of good repute. The City Lord of Black Tortoise City even organized a dinner party, inviting all of them to meet at once.
Thus, Wei Huan was kept busy from the moment he arrived at Black Tortoise City until the next day. He met with people throughout the morning of the second day, only ending the "boring" social engagements when the departure time arrived.
The City Lord of Black Tortoise City is a 40-year-old minority ethnic Zhuang man, in the prime of his life. He personally escorted Wei Huan to the vehicle, saying reluctantly: "Once this mission is complete, you will head to the Tier 6 world. We are also preparing for the upcoming opening battle. I don't know when we'll meet again."
Wei Huan had a good impression of the City Lord of Black Tortoise City. Shaking his hand, he said: "Let's both strive hard. We'll meet again at the peak."
The City Lord of Black Tortoise City smiled: "Indeed. The journey is long. There will definitely be a time we meet again."
Wei Huan turned and boarded the vehicle. The door closed tightly behind him, and the war vehicle started, soaring into the sky. Once it reached a distance where the weapons on the city walls could not reach, it whizzed away.
The City Lord of Black Tortoise City watched the war vehicle depart, then turned to the people beside him and said: "We need to install more anti-air weapons. Even if high-altitude equipment is expensive, we must install at least one mount first. I hear the second Tier 6 vehicle is about to be completed. In the future, these Tier 6 vehicles will be constantly coming and going. Without powerful firepower to deter them, there will be no order."
"Yes."
It only took a few moments for Wei Huan to reach the entrance of the teleportation gate. Many vehicles were already waiting here. This assessment was a mass migration for Challengers, with about 100,000 vehicles from various countries participating. Even if not all of them were Tier 5 vehicles, the total number of people reached around 5 million. If the Dark Beasts had received this information and the Royalty had been deployed to intercept them, humanity would have suffered heavy losses, potentially leading to a prolonged depression, and even Wei Huan might not have been able to save them. However, after extensive verification, and given that some private forces who couldn't be stopped wanted to follow the large army and try to fish in troubled waters, the number of participants in this assessment ended up being huge. This made the governments of all Blue Star nations extremely nervous.
Fortunately, this assessment was surprisingly smooth. The Dark Beast Lords clearly did not notice humanity's unusual movement and made no arrangements to send Dark Beasts to block the route. Therefore, aside from the accidental appearance of Royalty tribes causing some casualties to the Challenger army, over 98% of the Challengers successfully reached the 80-kilometer mark. After that, apart from a few individual powerhouses who continued forward to challenge the final Boss and try to win the assessment reward, everyone else had been waiting at the 80-kilometer mark since about 8:00 a.m. today. As soon as the time arrives, the Tier 5 world will welcome a large batch of Challengers, the fresh troops. The cities frantically built by the official forces will then truly serve their purpose.
Wei Huan's purpose in coming here was, as everyone knew, to pick up his crew members and escort a batch of Azure Dragon Legion Challengers to the newly outlined Azure Dragon City. Azure Dragon City is deep within the uninhabited zone. The journey frequently encounters aggressive monsters that newcomers to the Challenger World find difficult to deal with, but Wei Huan can easily farm materials.
To avoid trouble, Wei Huan's war vehicle flew to a height of one hundred meters in the air—a position Tier 5 war vehicles cannot reach. It then hovered directly above the teleportation gate, waiting quietly.
Time passed second by second. Exactly at 12:00 noon, the teleportation gate flashed with brilliant light, and the first vehicle emerged! The AI Butler projected and magnified the scene of the vehicles being teleported out. Vehicle after vehicle emerged. Soon, the space reserved by the various countries for picking up people was insufficient. Some vehicles retreated, some were stuck in place, and some even shouted names through large speakers, resembling a scene outside a train station picking up passengers.
The Tier 5 world instantly became much livelier. From his vantage point, Wei Huan also noticed the huge difference between the operations organized by major nations and those by smaller countries. In a scene that looked chaotic even to Wei Huan, some vehicles, upon emerging, drove toward one direction, and subtly formed a new convoy not far from the exit. There were convoys from Aosam, Great Bear Nation, Hedge Nation, and, of course, the Daxia convoy. These national convoys had uniform vehicle exterior designs and military emblems. When dozens or hundreds of vehicles lined up together, the unique aura of a "National Blade" was sufficiently intimidating. As for the private forces, although they also tried to project some momentum, they were too scattered and were currently running around the teleportation gate like headless chickens.
Wei Huan spotted the Daxia convoy at a glance, drove over, and slowly descended. At the same time, under his command, the Butler contacted the overall commander responsible for Daxia's assessment operation. Appearing on the screen was a valiant female Lieutenant Colonel with a neat short haircut, wearing the Daxia military uniform. She saluted Wei Huan on the screen.
"Reporting, Colonel Wei! Mission complete! Please inspect!"
Wei Huan nodded but did not leave the war vehicle. He simply commanded: "Continue to organize the team. Stand by."
"Yes!"
This female Lieutenant Colonel is a very talented command-type leader. Although her personal strength is only Sequence Five, a Martial King, the legions she commanded in previous battles with the Dark Beasts consistently achieved considerable results. Therefore, she was assigned to this assessment highway, which was conducted according to the standards of trench warfare. This was also to nurture her so that upon successfully reaching the Tier 5 world, she would gain better resources and truly join the ranks of the powerhouses. Wei Huan knew this female Lieutenant Colonel as well. She was a famous powerhouse in the previous life and would not be unknown in this life either.
After a deep look at the female Lieutenant Colonel, Wei Huan shifted his gaze and ended the communication.
For the next two hours, Wei Huan waited for the Daxia legion to assemble. A very large number of people came from Daxia this time. Wei Huan's emergence pushed Daxia's combat power to new heights, and the nation decided to fully open up the exploration of the Tier 5 world, striving to compete for as many resources as possible and centrally cultivate more ultimate powerhouses and advanced war vehicles.
Additionally, a large number of the Criminal Sequence whom Wei Huan had specifically requested were also sent up this time. The Criminal Sequence, who had previously never been absorbed by the military, had been growing wildly over the years. However, when the official government announced an open recruitment, the number of Criminal Sequence individuals who responded far exceeded everyone's expectations. After all, being alone is too difficult. The lone wolves who dared not team up for fear of harming their comrades always spoke of being unrestrained and free, but those left to fend for themselves were no match for the security of an iron rice bowl. Furthermore, in Daxia's cultural heritage, there is a tradition of entering officialdom through examination since ancient times, so even if they didn't want to come, their families would persuade them. And besides, there was no one who didn't want to come.
Most importantly, Daxia acquired the training ground for the Criminal Sequence, which allowed the Criminal Sequence to gain self-control. Any one of these factors was enough to attract those solitary Criminal Sequence individuals in droves, keeping the recruitment team extremely busy. After all, they were offering a secure position. Even with relaxed criteria, ignoring some past violations of their families, the applicants must at least not have allowed themselves to commit mass murder or abandoned the bottom line of humanity after becoming a Criminal Sequence.
Therefore, to gather this batch of over two thousand Criminal Sequence individuals, Daxia mobilized nearly all available manpower and conducted five rounds of screening. They could not guarantee absolute perfection, but there were certainly very few who slipped through the net. This group of people was currently divided into groups of 15, dispersed across different vehicles. Some gathered in small groups, while others were alone. They were all standing on the balconies now, looking up at the war vehicle suspended a hundred meters in the sky. All of them showed profound gratitude in their eyes. They all knew that without Colonel Wei and Major Xu, the Criminal Sequence would not have the status they have today. The Criminal Sequence is just a profession, not a crime, yet it had been misunderstood and resisted by the world. Now, they finally have the opportunity to justify themselves. Their gratitude was sincere and heartfelt.