The Ocean Lord Is Unusually Powerful - Chapter 172: The Ninth Level
“Ding- Illusory Realm Trial Level Seven passed, Nexus integrity 100%.”
Upon hearing the system prompt, Ji Chen couldn’t help but relax, feeling the exhaustion of half of his mana and a tinge of bitterness on his face.
He surveyed his surroundings.
Centered around the Nexus, the broken bodies of numerous Ocean Guardians covered the surface of the sea within a hundred meters, bobbing with the undulating waves.
Although devoid of a bloody atmosphere, the intensity of the battle was evident.
An hour ago, Ji Chen had initiated the seventh level of the Illusory Realm. Despite being mentally prepared, the difficulty of this level exceeded his expectations.
Similar to the sixth level, the objective was to protect the Nexus from harm, but the time limit had been extended to one hour from the previous 30 minutes.
Right from the start, they were assaulted by over five hundred Ocean Guardians, attacking from all directions, numbering more than twice that of their entire army.
Thus, they found themselves under tremendous pressure from the outset.
Ji Chen could only form their troops into a circular formation centered around the Nexus, resisting the relentless waves of Ocean Guardians.
Although they managed to pass the level, the casualties were severe.
More than one-third of the Naga warriors perished, and a quarter of the Dragon Blood Murlocs were lost.
The Pure Water Sea Pixies suffered the most, as they were breached by several Ocean Guardians during a near-collapse of their defenses, resulting in the loss of over ten of their kind.
Now their entire army had suffered heavy losses, with almost every unit bearing injuries, either missing limbs or depleted mana.
If it weren’t for the option to choose when to start the next level and enough time for the units to recover and restore their mana, Ji Chen would have considered starting over.
Having reached the seventh level, the number of remaining trials in this Divine Realm Trial remained unknown.
At this moment, Ji Chen began to assess the number of surviving troops.
35 Naga warriors.
60 Dragon Blood Murlocs.
85 Pure Water Sea Pixies.
A total of 171, a decrease of one-third compared to the initial count.
Most importantly, with only a handful of Naga warriors remaining as frontline shields, it would be impossible to protect the backline in the upcoming levels.
This situation made Ji Chen curse inwardly.
How could they continue like this?
The assault in the eighth level would undoubtedly be fiercer, and without an adequate frontline, once the defense line was breached, the fragile backline would be torn apart like watermelons, helpless to fight back.
At this point, Ji Chen made a firm decision.
Afterward, he must go out and search for more Naga warrior recruitment camp cores.
Acquiring dozens of them at once, perhaps even hundreds in a week.
If he could amass such numbers.
He thought of the numerous players on King Kong Island.
He decided to entrust “l_Love_Black_Stockings” to check if the island’s players had any recruitment camp cores for Naga warriors, Dragon Blood Murlocs, Pure Water Sea Pixies, and the like.
If they did, he would purchase them directly with gold coins.
After making up his mind, Ji Chen focused on restoring his mana to its fullest.
Preparing for the eighth level.
Several hours later.
The injured army had mostly recovered, and their conditions were at their best.
At Ji Chen’s command, the entire army submerged into the sea once again, keeping a vigilant eye on the surrounding waters.
Ji Chen’s gaze became resolute, and with a single thought:
“Ding- Illusory Realm Simulation Level Eight initiated. Protect the Nexus from destruction for three hours.”
In the distance, thousands of Ocean Guardians appeared within their field of view, their large fins adorned with numerous white lines, eagerly heading towards the Nexus.
Within the pre-programmed instructions, their sole objective was to destroy the crystal buoy, tearing apart any living being that stood in their way!
Ji Chen narrowed his eyes as he observed the enemy closing in from all sides.
The mana within him boiled like molten lava.
The surrounding seawater surged and roiled from the overflowing mana.
The enemies were now less than four hundred meters away, and their ferocious mouthparts seemed poised to bite.
Ji Chen had yet to issue the attack command.
The Dragon Blood Murlocs had a maximum throwing range of approximately two hundred and fifty meters.
The Pure Water Sea Pixies had a range of about two hundred meters.
This distance allowed them to unleash their maximum killing efficiency.
This was knowledge gained through multiple battles.
At three hundred meters, Ji Chen gave the command to prepare for combat.
At a distance of two hundred and fifty meters, a group of sixty Dragon Blood Murlocs swiftly hurled their tridents, leaving behind trails of white water as the projectiles streaked toward the enemy ranks.
With deadly precision, they shattered an equal number of adversaries in an instant.
However, for the thousands of Ocean Guardians, this was merely a drop in the ocean.
It couldn’t even slightly impede their charging momentum.
At two hundred meters, eighty-five Pure Water Sea Pixies simultaneously cast their spells, firing hundreds of water arrows that shot forward like torpedoes.
The chaotic currents produced by the explosions of the water arrows jostled the enemy’s forms, causing many Ocean Guardians near the blast points to be crushed by the surging water pressure, turning them into fragments.
But more Ocean Guardians continued their charge.
In the blink of an eye, the distance of two hundred meters had shrunk to less than a hundred.
With over eight hundred Ocean Guardians, they were practically upon them.
At this moment, Ji Chen raised both hands, and a surging mana burst forth.
The oncoming enemies didn’t see it coming. The seawater beneath them surged upward, reaching their position within half a breath’s time. Carrying its momentum, it forcefully propelled them out of the sea and into the sky.
The Ocean Guardians, who were agile in water, were now like ducks stranded on land, helplessly flapping their large fins, their gazes fixed on their own ascent into the air..