Chapter 149: The Greatest Challenge

Earth Stomp is a one-time skill extracted from the "Bull of Heaven." As a crowd control ability, it is undeniably powerful, especially on the soft sandy beach.

"Boom!"

With Yan Luo's feet as the epicenter, rumbling shockwaves rippled outward along the beach. It was akin to Sand King’s epic stomp, sending yellow dust billowing into the air.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Pizarro and Cortez choked on mouthfuls of sand, coughing violently. The charging tenth squad captain was also blocked by the rising dust and forced to stop. The unluckiest ones were the Spanish players who were lying on the ground, waiting out their near-death timers.

They were directly turned into sand sculptures.

Relying on his memory of the moments before, Yan Luo determined Queen Isabella's location amidst the chaos.

He charged fiercely forward.

A Pillar Supporting the Sky!

The thick, long, rigid iron rod glowed with a reddish, scorching heat. Aiming directly at the queen, he thrust it straight at her! This was a move Yan Luo had honed through countless arduous practice sessions! Utilizing the Earth Stomp to kick up sand and obscure vision, he delivered a fierce stab at Isabella.

However, a transparent barrier instantly materialized around the queen.

LD Force Field!

It was a Leader Force Field—an imitation of the AT force field concept—designed to block any attack, whether physical or energetic! A sneak attack? That was simply nonexistent against the leader of this game.

Realizing he could not breach the luminous barrier, Yan Luo turned around immediately.

"Madi!"

He called out for his mount. Under the effects of the Earth Stomp, the hole the horse had dug naturally collapsed, but with rapid scrapes of its hooves, it dug out another. Hearing its master's call, the intelligent mount poked its head out, its body buried entirely below the neck.

It looked precisely like a gopher.

Now, with the kicked-up dust yet to settle, guided by the glowing pet-location dot on his interface, Yan Luo ran over to Madi and delivered a Mario-style stomp, driving the horse's head back down into the hole while jumping in after it.

"Dig!"

At its master's command, Madi executed the Earth Escape and Burrowing Technique, rapidly extending forward from a rising mound of earth toward the distant coastline. The surface result of the Earth Stomp now functioned effectively as a Dust Release: Sandstorm Technique, and in the chaos, none of the players noticed Yan Luo escaping underground.

"Huff, huff..."

Continuously using the burrowing skill and carving his path through the sand below with his hooves, Madi consumed a massive amount of stamina. Digging consumed far more energy than running; the horse's tongue lolled out of its mouth like a panting dog, dragging limply outside.

Yan Luo followed closely behind. Suddenly, with a loud "bang" ahead, the horse stopped.

"Huh?"

Seeing his mount suddenly go limp and slide down against the wall, Yan Luo stepped forward and found Madi's eyes swirling in a dizzy pattern, its tongue hanging out, and white foam seeping from the corners of its mouth. Right in the center of its forehead was a large, swelling bump.

"Hit granite..."

Since they could no longer dig forward, Yan Luo delivered a few heavy slaps to snap the dizzy horse back to awareness, making it change direction and dig upward. Soon, man and horse broke through to the surface.

Half an hour later.

Standing atop the Pyrenees, holding a steamed corn bun in one hand and taking huge bites, Yan Luo gazed into the distance.

The injuries on his hands and body had completely healed under the effect of "Self-Heal," and the pain had faded as well.

Pain and suffering are distinct.

One is a physical sensation, while the other is an emotion.

At present, evening had fallen in the game, turning the sky dim. In the distance, the Spanish civilization's tribe was a hive of frantic activity. Lacking ship-building technology at this stage, Isabella had no choice but to establish her city along the coast, searching for a location with relatively firm soil and a favorable relative position.

"Return to Wu Zetian's tribe, and tomorrow I should be able to lead a large army back here."

Just as Yan Luo was preparing to mount his horse and leave, a world announcement echoed across the game:

"Huaxia civilization's Qin Shi Huang has declared war on the Japanese civilization: Himiko, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Emperor Meiji."

Yan Luo: "..."

So soon? At this point, the vast majority of factions were probably still wandering around the chaotic continent, unable to even build a city yet. Qin Shi Huang had actually declared war, and against all factions of the Japanese civilization simultaneously?

He truly lived up to his title as the Ancestral Dragon.

Through the party interface, he questioned Chu Qingfeng on the other side.

"Qin Shi Huang just built a city here called Xianyang, located in the Rocky Mountains."

"I have no idea how he ended up declaring war on the Japanese civilization. Well, being the Ancestral Dragon, having a bit of a temper is normal, right? They haven't run into the three Japanese factions yet, but when they do, there's bound to be a fight. It shouldn't be too big an issue because it's impossible to encounter all three at once. Even if they do, who are they supposed to fear in the Stone Age?"

"Xianyang has enclosed a natural wonder: the Fountain of Youth! It's designed based on *The Mummy* movies."

"I think Qin Shi Huang might become invincible under heaven. With the Fountain of Youth, all 5,000 founding Qin soldiers have been granted a potent self-healing buff. Now that the city is built, he's just waiting to forge the Terracotta Army before heading out to mess with everyone else. I wonder what civilizations are around the Rocky Mountains."

"I displayed the Qin Code and managed to get slightly familiar with the God of War, Bai Qi. Right now, all the Qin generals are itching to stir up trouble."

"When our tribe was migrating earlier, we ran into American President Washington—the one with the cherry-blossom-chopping magical axe. Qin Shi Huang wanted to fight him right then and there. If that guy hadn't lowered his posture and personally come over to greet him, he probably would have been wiped out already."

Learning about the situation on Chu Qingfeng's end, Yan Luo intended to return quickly. With some civilizations already establishing cities, a day here differed from a day in the real world, and developments during the Stone Age—even within a single day—were crucial!

At that moment, another message arrived.

However, this time, it was no longer a world announcement.

Game notification:

"The faction you belong to, led by Wu Zetian, has selected a location and begun building a city. Your quest has failed. Your official rank has been demoted from Rank 9 Senior: Huaihua Halberd-Bearer, to Rank 9 Junior: Guide Halberd-Bearer. Your reputation within Wu Zetian's faction has decreased."

Yan Luo: "..."

They built the city? This was an exceptional location featuring two natural wonders: the Great Barrier Reef and Mount Fuji... He was somewhat speechless at this outcome.

His reputation had even dropped.

Now Wu Zetian's soldiers would have to guard the city to prevent other civilizations and barbarians from launching attacks.

Furthermore, the various civilizational factions would issue all sorts of quests to players—gathering food, harvesting resources, seeking materials, developing technology... The idea of leading a large player army back to attack Isabella's civilization was now completely out of the question.

Besides, in a few days once the Spanish city was established, how many troops would it take to conquer a city with stone walls?

Blocked by the Pyrenees mountain range, it would also be extremely difficult to march a large army through.

"No matter what, I cannot cede this land to Spain. Otherwise, by the time the Enlightenment Age arrives and the Invincible Armada sails out, Wu Zetian will likely be the first to be wiped out. Since that's the case, Isabella, let's inflict mutual destruction upon each other!"

Since he possessed the self-healing gene and could recover from injuries rapidly, Yan Luo intended to take on the Spanish civilization single-handedly in a battle of attrition.

Fighting them head-on was clearly a losing proposition—today had already proven that. He was ready to deploy the Supreme Emperor's supreme tactical mantra: *When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we strike; when the enemy retreats, we pursue.* That's right—he planned to play guerrilla warfare against Spain.

Night fell. Under the cover of darkness, Yan Luo left his horse behind and stealthily slipped into the tribe alone.

He did not carry his coiling-dragon rod, opting instead for a pair of mandarin duck sabers.

The theme for tonight was—

Assassin's Creed!

I work in the darkness to serve the light. Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

I am an assassin!

A patrolling soldier's pupils suddenly froze. A blade tip protruded from his chest, and as he opened his mouth to shout, a hand reached from behind to clamp tightly over it. Amidst muffled groans of "Mmh, mmh-mmh," the soldier's struggling movements ceased.

The blade tip retracted. An arm supported the limp corpse, gently lowering it to the ground, whereupon the body dissolved into particles and vanished.

A powerful entity comparable to a boss monster, capable of fleeing when defeat loomed, completely devoid of any grand demeanor, resorting to sneak attacks against both soldiers and players alike, capable of swift recovery even when injured, and clutching a Dark Progeny trump card.

To this tribe, he was the embodiment of a persistent, thorn-in-the-side nuisance, operating with boundless enthusiasm.

The greatest challenge in the history of the Spanish civilization had arrived!