Morning light filters through clouds, warming Zhou Yan's face as he rises from cultivation.
The door creaks. Diao Chan, in a phoenix-red dress, radiates beauty—bright eyes, crimson lips, a fairy's grace. Her gaze meets his, cheeks flushing. "Breakfast's ready," she says softly.
"Coming," Zhou Yan replies.
Lingmi sweet potato porridge, crafted from Diao Chan's fresh spirit field harvest, delights. Nutritious, it boosts attributes over time, fueling energy. "Delicious," he praises.
Before checking the Mystery Store, a dark mass looms outside—monsters.
"Lord, they're here," Si Teng says, gripping her weapon.
"They're hitting the front and left," Hua Yuerong adds. "Front's heavier."
"Chan'er, lead White-Robed Ghost Soldiers to the main gate," Zhou Yan orders. "Zhen Mi, take the left. No monster steps inside."
"Yes!" They scatter.
Zhou Yan adjusts defenses. The left, with fewer foes, gets both Flame Towers—their short range suits smaller waves. Zhen Mi's team bolsters them.
At the main gate, the ground rumbles. Through vine gaps, Zhou Yan spots three monster types:
Black-Toothed Pigs, level 7 boars with ivory-like tusks, charge fiercely.
Colorful venomous snakes, levels 5-7, slither densely, unnerving.
Car-sized lizards, the largest, lead with brute force.
All ordinary, none above level 10, but their numbers test the vine wall's strength.
A metallic clang erupts. The Sword Blade Tower, a ten-meter sword-shaped spire, gleams. As monsters enter its 100-meter range, it unleashes a blade storm—energy swords slice the air.
Blood mist rises; pigs and snakes fall in droves, shredded. "Like a sword sect's barrage," Zhou Yan marvels, thrilled by its flair and might. "More of these would be grand."
A dark green haze catches his eye—the Poison Gas Tower's work. Its 200-meter range engulfs foes in toxic mist. Near the center, monsters drop instantly, bodies greening. At the edges, survivors stagger, dazed, only to be trampled by their own.
"Biochemical terror," Zhou Yan grins. The tower's casualties triple the Blade Tower's.
"It's monstrous," Diao Chan gasps, awed by its debut.
White-Robed Ghost Soldiers gape, spooked. Even the SSS-tier Storm Tower can't match this kill count.
The trio—Blade, Gas, Storm—decimates waves, holding the gate firm. Curious, Zhou Yan triggers the Poison Gas Tower's secondary skill.
A powder stream arcs, bursting midair.
"Boom!"
Dust settles, slowing monsters to a crawl—like sprinters turned sluggish. Rear ranks crash into them, piling up. Another mist wave hits, poisoning the heap. All perish.
"This tower's a gem," Zhou Yan declares. Multiple Gas Towers would render walls untouchable.
His level 20, S-tier-plus towers dominate. Low-level monsters can't endure. Zhou Yan had fretted over their numbers, but his defenses—amped by territory buffs—prove lethal.
"More monsters, more rewards," he muses.