"Younger Adventurers are so hardworking."
"We old folks can't slack off either!"
After observing several young Adventurers, Three Bamboo decided it was time to take a step forward in pursuit of breakthroughs and progress.
Among the seasoned Adventurers in Black Stone Town, White Crane Hermit was still researching how to defeat Weiming Genichiro in the prologue, while Boulder and Iron Heart led young Adventurers through the Doomsday Frenzy or challenged the Tidal Secret Realm story chapters.
Three Bamboo had the highest exploration progress in Ashina Country among them. Just yesterday, he had successively defeated the Samurai General Kawarada Naomori and the Red Oni above the Tiger-shaped Stairs. Today, he encountered a second Samurai General, Yamauchi Shigetoki, after passing through the Tiger-shaped Stairs. It took him three stamina points to defeat him.
Now, with half of the adventure time gone, he had to seize the moment to act.
Activating the crystal, he started a new round of adventure.
Three Bamboo passed through the Tiger-shaped Stairs, and two paths appeared before him. The one on the right led directly to a deep valley, which didn't seem to be the main road into the city.
Without hesitation, Three Bamboo chose the left route to explore and soon encountered a massive broken bridge.
This bridge originally spanned a valley, leading directly to the vicinity of Tianshou Pavilion, the core area of Ashina Castle, where the Divine Child was likely being held captive.
Now, the bridge had been artificially destroyed. Judging from the current situation, it was highly probable that Ashina Country itself had destroyed the bridge to reduce the threat to Ashina Castle, reflecting Ashina Country's disadvantage.
Without the bridge, he couldn't go directly into the city. However, the Adventurer had already found a new way to enter.
Below the huge broken bridge was a small path leading to the valley below. By going around this valley to the west side of Ashina Castle, he could reach Great Hand Gate, the main outer gate of Ashina Castle that connected the castle town and Tianshou Pavilion.
Hurry up! Act immediately!
With the Wolf's mobility and the agility of the Shinobi Prosthetic, it took Three Bamboo about thirty minutes to reach Great Hand Gate. Along the way, he encountered many Ashina Soldiers and various ninja forces, but they couldn't stop this seasoned Adventurer.
In front of Great Hand Gate, the scene was shocking.
This was a very open square filled with battle flags inserted diagonally into the ground, samurai corpses that hadn't been collected in time, scattered weapons, and burning bonfires.
A glance revealed nearly a thousand corpses. While it wasn't originally this exaggerated, during the production of the Miracle City Remastered Edition, Qi Ji had deliberately added many details to vividly highlight the brutality of the war between Ashina and the Inner Ministry.
Three Bamboo noticed, with careful observation, that there were corpses of both Ashina Soldiers and red-armored samurai representing the Inner Ministry. The watchtowers and damaged wooden fences on both sides were mostly ruined by the ravages of war. The thick smoke from the burning bonfires covered the sky, creating an atmosphere that felt both haunting and solemn.
Witnessing the front line of Ashina Country's battlefield for the first time filled Three Bamboo with awe; the visual impact of the scene was overwhelming.
"Why did the war break out?"
"Is it really worth so many deaths?"
"What is it in this land, hidden deep in the mountains, that warrants such a large-scale conflict?"
Before he could continue scouting, a murderous aura rushed toward him.
The Adventurers watching from outside heard the battle music representing the clash of swords and spears and the rain of arrows. Every time this happened, it signaled that a formidable enemy was about to appear.
As expected.
A rapid sound of horse hooves, like a sudden downpour, rang out, mixed with a thunderous and powerful shout.
"I am Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka!"
Three Bamboo immediately drew his sword and took a stance. From behind the pile of corpses, amidst the endless battlefield smoke, a huge figure with a strong sense of oppression suddenly rushed out.
"Oniwa Gyoubu is here!"
The Adventurer wasn't too surprised. Three Bamboo was not the first expert to explore this far.
Not long ago, two or three Adventurers had already reached Great Hand Gate, and as long as they reached this point, the BOSS battle would be triggered!
Although Three Bamboo had heard of Oniwa Gyoubu's existence, being personally in this battlefield of broken flags, cracked armor, and scattered corpses, and suddenly encountering the powerful enemy before him, still filled him with a strong sense of tension.
"This is Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka..."
Oniwa Gyoubu was tall and burly, with bulging muscles. He wore heavy armor in the style of the Eastern Warring States period, a demon mask helmet with two horns, and held a heavy Ten-Character Spear. He also had a mount—a black warhorse with horse armor, boasting an unusual physique and coat that perfectly matched its owner's height and weight.
"Those who trespass on Ashina!"
"Kill!"
One person and one horse charged forth with the momentum of a thousand troops.
The distance between them was still thirty meters, but Three Bamboo already had a strong premonition of danger!
A blood-stained Ten-Character Spear shot out at astonishing speed, producing a thunderous sound.
Bang!
The large spear landed precisely where Three Bamboo had been standing just moments before. If his reaction had been a second slower, he would have been instantly killed!
Almost in the next moment, Oniwa Gyoubu arrived with the sound of wind and thunder, instantly picking up the large spear stuck in the ground. He twisted the horse's head with force and swung the spear, tearing through the air and striking toward the Adventurer with astonishing force.
This strike was powerful and heavy!
It not only contained Oniwa Gyoubu's brute strength but also the speed of the warhorse, making it capable of easily shattering stone.
With the Wolf's physical performance and strength, directly blocking it would exhaust a lot of stamina and even cause significant damage, making it impossible to last several rounds.
Three Bamboo was an experienced Old Adventurer, however. He was not intimidated by Oniwa Gyoubu's powerful aura but calmly observed and predicted before striking with his sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew!
Three Bamboo accurately seized the opportunity to trigger a perfect parry.
With skillful force, he deflected a blow that was completely mismatched in power.
Even so, Oniwa Gyoubu did not stop his attack rhythm but quickly swung his large spear, stabbing and hacking several times in succession.
This opponent was completely different from the ones he had faced before and was the complete opposite of Phantom Butterfly.
Lady Butterfly's strength was not great; her speed was fast, her attacks light and elegant, and she was skilled in sneak attacks, assassination, and illusion interference.
Oniwa Gyoubu's moves were wide open and direct, confronting the Adventurer head-on with the purest strength and the simplest moves.
Although he didn't seem to excel in mobile combat, his warhorse compensated for this very well, providing a significant boost during the attack process.
A head-on confrontation would surely result in defeat!
If he couldn't accurately parry the attacks, the Adventurer could only last three to five rounds at most.
Even someone like Three Bamboo felt clumsy when fighting Oniwa Gyoubu for the first time, quickly finding himself at a disadvantage after a few rounds.
"No!"
"Pull back first!"
Three Bamboo endured two attacks, feeling as if his internal organs had been struck by lightning. He quickly used his Shinobi Prosthetic to fire a grappling hook, grabbing onto a dead tree to create distance.
"Thief, don't run!"
Oniwa Gyoubu threw his long spear again, shattering the dead tree.
Three Bamboo quickly landed, but unexpectedly, the large spear stuck in the ground was pulled out and swung by a force.
It was a rope!
Oniwa Gyoubu had tied a rope to the spear. At that moment, he swung the long rope with all his might, forming an attack range with a radius of ten to twenty meters.
Three Bamboo was caught off guard and swept to the ground by the long spear. Oniwa Gyoubu didn't wait for the Adventurer to stand up; he violently pulled the long rope to retrieve the spear.
During this process, the warhorse and its master were perfectly in sync.
It leaped three to four meters high and nearly ten meters away. After Oniwa Gyoubu grabbed the long spear in mid-air, he thrust it out with the momentum of a charge and a fall.
"Danger!"
Three Bamboo felt the horror of this spear strike, but in his downed state, it was too late to dodge.
Gritting his teeth, he held his sword horizontally to block.
When the Ten-Character Spear struck the blade, the immense force generated instantly shattered the long sword in the middle.
"Die!"
Amidst Oniwa Gyoubu's roar, the Ten-Character Spear pierced through the ninja, lifted him high, and threw him aside, urging his warhorse to stomp down forcefully, completely crushing the Adventurer who dared to trespass into Ashina Castle.
**Challenge failed!**
Three Bamboo sighed, "I guessed he was strong, but I didn't expect him to be this formidable."
"Old Chairman, don't be discouraged!"
"This Oniwa Gyoubu is no ordinary person. He is not only the former king of the mountain bandits but also a fierce general who participated in the Country Stealing War twenty years ago."
"The Ten-Character Spear he holds is the weapon of the former Inner Ministry general, Tamura Yoshifumi!"
"Not only that! He is also the teacher assigned to Weiming Genichiro by Ashina Isshin!"
---
The two BOSSes that the Adventurer had encountered in the early stages were Wolf's teacher, Phantom Butterfly, and Weiming Genichiro's mentor, Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka.
Not only were they symmetrical in a certain way, but their battle scenes, fighting styles, and challenge methods were completely different. The feeling, experience, and sense of oppression they brought were also entirely distinct.
Three Bamboo certainly wasn't discouraged. Instead of feeling defeated, he became even more excited. Such a rare strongman was a truly worthy opponent!
If Bihua could defeat Phantom Butterfly, why couldn't he defeat Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka?
He must fight to the end!
The Old Adventurer's fighting spirit was burning fiercely!
---
Qi Ji noticed from behind the scenes that six Adventurers had arrived at Great Hand Gate. They were simultaneously challenging the main story BOSS guarding this place, Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka.
In the original game, Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka and Phantom Butterfly, as the two major early BOSSes, were not too difficult. Some players even felt they were not as challenging as the Red Oni.
This is because computer games are too rigid; characters have clear numerical health bars and other settings. As long as the health bar is not depleted, they can jump around lively.
The Secret Realm operates more like the real world, so the feeling is definitely different.
In terms of material level, Phantom Butterfly and Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka are both Tier 2 Five-stars, while the Red Oni is only a Tier 2 Three-star, indicating a significant performance gap.
In the Miracle City Remastered and optimized Ashina Country, there will be no situation where the story BOSS is weaker than an elite monster. This aligns with the identity and narrative weight of these story BOSSes in the original work, and they will become Miracle City's powerful scythe for harvesting Adventurers!
Even a first-class Adventurer like Bihua died eight times before she could defeat Phantom Butterfly. For ordinary Adventurers who are less experienced and insightful, it is impossible to pass without dying thirty or forty times.
Even with the guides, experience, and strategies provided by experts, it is inevitable to fight ten or eight times before barely succeeding.
The situation with Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka should be similar.
Although six Adventurers had reached Great Hand Gate at the same time, it was impossible to pass in a short time, and they would inevitably suffer greatly.
Qi Ji watched the scene of the Adventurers struggling and being overwhelmed.
"Very good! Very spirited!"
He was about to withdraw his attention and continue with his production work.
Several major tribes were expected to arrive at Miracle City tonight to formally contact Qi Ji.
This would be Miracle City's first contact with the outside world, marking the beginning of Qi Ji's plan to actively spread the territory's influence and step out of the Gloomy Valley to conquer the Eternal Night Forest.
Starting from today, the number of foreign Adventurers in Miracle City would increase significantly. He needed to complete the planned Secret Realm production tasks as soon as possible and prepare for the next stage of activating new games and adding new Secret Realm content chapters.
However, just at that moment, an Adventurer caught his attention.
Qi Ji was surprised and said, "This guy actually doesn't play by the rules; he's going toward the Sunken Valley..."
This person was not unfamiliar. His adventure code name was Wool Warrior. He was a contracted Adventurer of Miracle City, one of the first few groups to arrive there.
Wool Warrior's level wasn't high, but he liked to exploit loopholes. He hadn't cleared the first level of the Tidal Secret Realm many times and spent all day farming souls in the novice level.
He was simply a pure slacker.
However, Wool Warrior exchanged almost all the souls he farmed for contribution points, making a considerable contribution to the development of Miracle City.
After the Ten Kingdoms Chronicle Ashina Chapter opened, under the guidance of White Crane Hermit, Wool Warrior struggled to defeat the leader Yamauchi Shigetoki, subsequently continuing to exploit loopholes.
He hadn't dared to challenge any generals or the Red Oni, relying entirely on farming various lone small monsters to obtain souls and scavenge for supplies.
During this process, he discovered several locations where the Luan Bo Army would appear. These ninjas with bodies like gnomes came from the Senpou Temple force.
Their frontal combat strength was not strong, but they excelled in sneak attacks.
Wool Warrior obtained "moon sugar" from these Luan Bo Army members. This item was equivalent to an invisibility potion.
With this item, he could bypass the main foes and reach the Tiger-shaped Stairs, where he would encounter two extremely formidable beings.
One was the Headless.
The other was the White Serpent God.
The Headless were originally the most valiant and legendary warriors in ancient Ashina. They resisted the foreign enemy, the Okami Clan, gaining extraordinary power through special medicine.
Ultimately defeated in extreme unwillingness and obsession, they absorbed a large number of evil spirits and hatred, transforming into terrifying Headless monsters.
The origin of the White Serpent God was even more astonishing. It was originally an ancient deity in the Ashina region, worshipped and sacrificed by the early inhabitants.
Due to the arrival of the foreign deity, the Sakura Dragon, its status was suppressed, forcing it to hide in the Sunken Valley.
Its status gradually declined over hundreds of years, leaving it almost forgotten.
There was no doubt that these were two super BOSSes beyond normal understanding—beyond ordinary imagination!
Coincidentally, Qi Ji had just finished producing the scenes where they were located. Thanks to the territory's Secret Realm Control Tower, there was no need to wait for the Secret Realm to close; he could operate or deploy even during its operation.
It's better to be lucky than early!
Since there happened to be an Adventurer seeking death, Qi Ji didn't wait any longer. He directly deployed the Headless and the White Serpent God to their designated locations, ready to add some excitement to the Adventurers.
These two are Tier 3 monsters!
Among them, the Headless is Tier 3 One-Star, while the White Serpent God has reached the peak of Tier 3 Two-Star!
Qi Ji was also very curious about the reaction the Adventurers would have when they encountered these two extraordinary beings, so he kept a close eye on Wool Warrior's subsequent actions.
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