Chapter 119

The two centaurs immediately stood at attention and saluted, replying, “Received, respected Lord!”

At this moment, Cao Xing looked at the Blood Spider Queen beside him and said, “Hilda, use your Queen’s Will to increase our speed.”

After experiencing the initial shock, Hilda’s face had once again donned an arrogant expression.

Upon hearing Cao Xing’s command, she replied impatiently,

“Tch… You actually want this queen to personally grant you a blessing.”

“But considering you helped me enhance my strength, I’ll reluctantly allow you to experience the power of this queen.”

As she spoke, a surge of red energy seeped from her body, enveloping everyone present.

At this moment, a tinge of blood appeared in everyone’s pupils!

A wave of madness filled their minds,

urging them to invade, to kill, to shatter everything!

They felt that a frenzy force was driving them.

But fortunately, these frenzied thoughts quickly faded, leaving only a searing power inside them, greatly increasing their move speed!

A system prompt appeared.

Joy gleamed strongly in Cao Xing’s eyes.

With this skill, his speed was now even more terrifying than some assassins of the same level!

“If anyone tries to assassinate me, I’ll just run—by then, seeing a mage run faster than them, those assassins would doubt their lives.”

Cao Xing laughed heartily.

Everything was ready.

Cao Xing headed out of the territory with Assam, Andrew, Sarah Blade Dance, Renice Hawkeye, Blot Sulfur Stone, Hilda Bloodkiss.

And underfoot, Da Bai.

A total of seven powerful creatures stepped out of the territory.

Compared to yesterday, there were fewer people, but their strength had significantly increased!

Cao Xing opened the map and glanced at the location of “Snow Fall Lake.”

From his territory, it was about sixty kilometers away, requiring almost an hour’s journey.

He put away the map, then pointed southeast and said:

“Da Bai, full speed ahead!”

“Everyone else, keep up.”

Thud! Thud thud thud!

Da Bai stretched its four thick elephant feet on the snowfield, leaving a massive footprint with each step.

Especially after gaining the enhancements from “Queen’s Will” and “Queen Domain,” it ran like a giant beast at full gallop!

Rumble rumble

The ground kept shaking.

But surprisingly, Cao Xing didn’t feel the bumps while sitting on Da Bai’s back.

The mammoth’s size was so grand that even running felt steady.

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue had looks of delight on their faces.

Whoosh—

The gale howled in their ears.

Beside them ran a galloping Frost Wolf and a Druid.

The newly joined Blood Spider Queen moved on her eight long legs at a swift speed through the snow.

Across the vast snowfield,

their group advanced with remarkable speed.

In less than half an hour, they had already covered thirty kilometers.

“As expected of a mammoth, truly swift and stable.”

With a pleased expression, Cao Xing patted Da Bai’s head.

While running, Da Bai turned its head, responding happily.

At their speed, it would take just over twenty minutes to reach Snow Fall Lake.

Feeling a bit bored during the journey,

Cao Xing opened his chat feature, intending to clear out some private messages.

Now being a celebrity in District 174, he received a plethora of curious and strange private messages daily.

At this moment, he noticed his unread private messages had exceeded 99+.

He randomly clicked open a few to check.

Wu Zeyuan: “Cao Xing, big bro, could you spare a couple of pieces of meat? My family is on the brink of starvation; I’ll definitely repay you in the future!”

Zhu Weidong: “Cao Xing, big bro, does your territory need manpower? I can bring my whole family to join you. Oh, and I have a sister who studies dance, with a height of 176 cm. She’s quite flexible; no other intentions, just thought maybe you’d want to meet.”

Qin Ruyu: “Hey there, can I join your territory? I can keep you company at night when you’re lonely, discuss life with you and if you want to do something else, that’s possible too~”

Yan Tai: “Hello, Cao Xing, I’m with the Sky Blade Association. Our leader Zhou Bo wants to chat and discuss potential collaborations.”

Chen Shen: “Kid, you’ve got guts; our Three Heroes Association won’t let you off!”

Within these, there were pleas for help and offers to pledge allegiance to Cao Xing.

And there were some idiots from the Three Heroes Association.

Cao Xing usually opted to block the last group directly.

As he was about to clear these private messages in one go, a message from a survivor named Ji Xinyue caught his attention.

The name sounded somewhat familiar to Cao Xing.

Previously, when the Three Heroes Association had been mocking him on the chat channel, she had spoken up for him several times.

Cao Xing then opened the private message.

Ji Xinyue: “Cao Xing, big bro, I apologize for the sudden interruption. I’ve recently run into some trouble and am seeking your help.”

“The issue stemmed from accepting a strange task, which requires me to do something very challenging.”

“As the days go by, the task grows increasingly strange and relentless, urging me daily to complete it quickly.”

“While I didn’t mean to bother you, I believe I lack the strength to complete it. After much thought, I remembered you.”

“You’re the strongest survivor in District 174; only you can help me now.”

“If you see this message and are interested, please reply; if you don’t want the hassle, feel free to delete it.”

Reading the message, Cao Xing pondered aloud, “A strange task? High difficulty?”

He became intrigued.

After momentary contemplation, Cao Xing replied with a message.

“I saw your message; what specifically is the task?”

Soon after he sent it, Ji Xinyue responded,

“Cao Xing, big bro! I can’t believe you actually replied!”

Cao Xing chuckled, “I am a living person, isn’t it normal to reply?”

The other party quickly acknowledged the oddity of her wording and hurriedly explained, “Sorry, I was just too excited.”

“Let me explain the specifics of this task to you.”

Ji Xinyue appeared to be very decisive in her actions.

She didn’t engage in much small talk with Cao Xing or use his number one position in District 174 as a means to cozy up; she directly got to the point.

“Three days ago, by chance, I found an underground passage that seemed like a palace, but the system prompted it was called the Ascalon Tomb.”

“It was filled with open coffins, and I even encountered undead Ascalon Soldiers.”

“Their levels were high, mostly in their tens or twenties, but they didn’t harm me and even gifted me several Ascalon Soldier recruitment scrolls, after which I inexplicably received a task.”

“This task is called: Expel the Demons From the Palace!”

Cao Xing asked in confusion, “The demons of the Underground Palace? This task already sounds extremely difficult.”

Ji Xinyue hastily replied, “Indeed, I share your thoughts, which is why I’ve constantly postponed executing this task.”

“Then, using the recruitment scrolls they gave me, I summoned a few Ascalon Soldiers, which substantially helped me gather resources.”

“But it didn’t last; within two days, those soldiers began urging me to expel the demons from the Underground Palace, yet I suppressed them with the Lord Contract.”

“Those soldiers couldn’t do anything to me and, unexpectedly, the undead found my territory. Each night, they appear like wandering spirits and encircle my territory.”

“My family and I were scared out of our wits, afraid to go out to the toilet at night!”

Hearing her words, Cao Xing couldn’t help but laugh.

However, thinking about it, it did indeed sound terrifying.

Imagine in this icy world, a bunch of undead begins to encircle your territory every night—watching you sleep, eat, even when you went to the restroom. Just the thought made one’s scalp tingle.

Cao Xing asked further, “And then?”

Ji Xinyue replied, “Later on, as I continued to procrastinate, the loyalty of those recruited Ascalon Soldiers kept dropping, and two soldiers have already left me.”

“They informed me that if I helped drive out the demons from the Underground Palace, I’d receive an entire army of Ascalon Soldiers, and if I found someone with Ascalon Royal Blood, they might even take me to unlock the palace’s treasures!”

“But I realized that carrying out the task with my current strength is akin to courting death.”

“Now, the Newcomer Protection Period is ending soon; I’m out of options, so I found my way to you…”

Ji Xinyue finished her story in one breath, and Cao Xing roughly understood her plight.

She had gained an early advantage through the recruitment scrolls given by the undead.

She ranked among the top ten on the leaderboard.

However, this advantage had also brought her significant trouble.

Indeed, accepting gifts from strangers, especially undead, should be done cautiously.

Cao Xing also noted the information she mentioned in the end.

Completing the task would grant an Ascalon Soldier Army and access to the palace treasure, provided one could find a person of royal bloodline.

Cao Xing sent a message, “Wait a moment; let me ask.”

He turned to Renice, running alongside the group, “Renice, do you have any Ascalon Royal Blood?”

Hearing the question, Renice looked puzzled.

But she shook her head, “Respected Lord, I am not of the Ascalon Royal Family.”

Cao Xing nodded and then sent another message, “Do you know what kind of power those demons reportedly have?”

Ji Xinyue replied, “I vaguely heard them mention a powerful being with third-tier or higher strength, naturally countering the undead, capable of summoning creatures called Soul-Devouring Monsters.”

“But beyond that, I’m unclear…”