My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 272: Internal strife at the beginning
Skip the attributes and look at the skill bar.

After simple adjustments, Xia Lin selected eight relatively less useful skills for mutation.

The mutation results are neither good nor bad.

Among the eight skills, a variation emerged that is worth preserving.

[Your skill, One Man at the Pass, changes to: Cluster Tactics. ]

[Cluster Tactics (Mutation): Passive skill. Your summoning skills and the number of summoned creatures are greatly improved. Your single-target skills can be transformed into group skills according to your will, but the cost is increased dramatically.]

This mutated skill can amplify the power of the East Wind Lord, and can also change the spirit-attaching skill from a single-target skill to a group skill.

This would allow Xia Lin to create the Dongfeng Spirit Legion faster - but it wasn't really a qualitative change.

However, compared with Yi Fu Dang Guan, Xia Lin felt that this skill would have more application scenarios, so he chose to keep the variation - anyway, he could just buy Yi Fu Dang Guan back when he needed it.

Just after the mutation was completed, light flashed from the pre-war preparation space.

The light pulled Xia Lin, causing him to disappear instantly.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a magnificent and ancient abandoned palace.

Light and shadows flickered around him, and three other figures appeared beside Xia Lin simultaneously.

Confrontational tasks are also group tasks.

It’s not one-to-one, but many-to-many!
……

The four people, including Xia Lin, looked at each other...

But unfortunately, Xia Lin didn’t recognize the other three people - none of them were acquaintances.

The other three seemed to know each other. After looking at each other, they all locked their eyes on Xia Lin.

After looking at each other for a while, the four of them withdrew their gazes, but no one spoke first to take charge of the situation.

But the atmosphere became depressing unconsciously.

Xia Lin slowly narrowed his eyes, recalling the descriptions of the other three people in his mind.

One of them was short and strong, only about 1.5 meters tall, with a beard on his face, and holding a sledgehammer in his hand that was taller than he was.

Seems to be a dwarf.

The second person was dressed strangely, just like a circus clown. Because of the clothes and the clown mask, Xia Lin couldn't tell whether this person was a man or a woman.

The third person was nearly middle-aged, wearing a white shirt, and looked like a handsome middle-aged scholar.

After a quick observation, Xia Lin came to this conclusion.

The strength of these three people is similar to his own.

The silent and depressing atmosphere was broken by the sudden appearance of black light in front.

The four of them looked up and saw in front of them a two-meter-long black flag with a tattered surface, emitting a faint black light.

A voice slowly emerged from beneath the black light.

Shifting his gaze downward, he saw a skeleton under the black flag, its upper and lower jaws opening and closing, emitting cold mechanical sounds.

【Welcome to Black Flag. 】

【There is no eternal kingship in this world. 】

[The fallen black flag symbolizes the end of an era. ]

[But there are still some people who have not forgotten the glory of the past and are eager to regain their former glory! ]

[The opening period of the Ember Zone is three months. 】

[The current main quest of the Ember Zone has been released. 】

[Main Mission: Escort! ]

[Escort: Escort the black flag in front of you to the ancient capital of Alderaan. Within the opening time of the Ash Zone, place the black chess piece on the flag stand at the highest point of the ancient capital of Alderaan! ]

[Note: The black flag cannot be stored in any type of storage items or skills, and can only be carried with you.]

[Note: The black flag cannot be destroyed or modified by any external force.]

[Note: This mission is a confrontational mission. In addition to being careful of the natives, you must also guard against the malice of the enemy's Ash Walkers.]

[Task Reward: God-given Essence*3. ]

[Failure penalty: All attributes are halved, and racial values are halved.]

【Clearance mission: Not triggered.】

[Side quest: Not triggered.]

"Main mission with high penalty..."

A dull voice came from the dwarf's mouth.

Then he looked up and looked at the other three teammates in the same camp.

"Cooperation is the only way out. I don't want to inexplicably bear the cost of having my racial value and all attributes cut in half because of a Jhin zone."

After saying that, he glanced at the other three people one by one.

"It seems that we will have to tolerate each other for a while in the next three months."

When he said this, the dwarf's eyes were fixed on the clown - he seemed very reluctant to cooperate with the clown, but had to do so due to the main quest.

The traveler dressed as a clown stuck out his bright red tongue, licked the corner of his mouth, and gave the dwarf an ambiguous smile.

The dwarf looked back at Xia Lin: "My name is Bron Silver Axe, you can just call me Silver Axe."

"As for the other two, they are both well-known masters. You can just call the clown-looking guy the clown. The other one is named Xu Jie, and his master is..."

Before Yin Fu finished his introduction, Xu Jie said, "I learned from the Holy Confucian Sect."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Xia Lin with a burning gaze and added: "My ancestor is one of the four great immortals under the command of the Heavenly Dao Creator."

"By the way, Brother Xia Lin should be familiar with one of the six pillars, the Heavenly Maker, right?"

Xia Lin sighed deeply.

The source of the depressing atmosphere has been found.

"So, we won't do this main quest?"

Xia Lin asked tentatively, which made Silver Axe and the Clown confused, but made Xu Jie laugh.

"Your brain is much, much better than half of mine in terms of racial value and attributes..."

The old man, the Lord of Heaven, casually offered a bounty to Xia Lin, which was an astronomical figure for those Ash Zone travelers whose strength was similar to Xia Lin.

This time in the Jhin area, Xu Jie happened to meet Xia Lin.

How to choose between the main quest and Xia Lin's bounty is a very simple math problem, and the result is obvious at a glance.

There is no need for negotiation, let alone giving in.

Before Xu Jie finished his words, Xia Lin's eyes flashed with blood as he made his move.

Being a pioneer is Xia Lin’s strongest skill, a random combination!

However, just when the random combination was about to be activated... Xia Lin inexplicably interrupted the skill.

He looked at the handsome scholar in white shirt in front of him, but he couldn't hit this random combination no matter what.

[Four Ends. Compassion (SS level): Passive skill, exclusive to Confucianists! With this skill, anyone who is your enemy will feel compassion, causing them to be unwilling to attack you first. The effect of this skill depends on the difference in strength between the two parties. But if you attack first, this skill will become ineffective.]

Even though this skill is not of high level, it is a very stable skill for taking the initiative!
While Xia Lin was hesitating, Xu Jie had already taken the initiative with the power of his skills!

"Everyone, follow me and punish the unjust!"

A grand voice came out from Xu Jie's mouth, like a decree from heaven.

This sound did not affect Xia Lin, but instead affected his two teammates beside him: Silver Axe and the Joker!

[Four Ends. Right and Wrong (Racial Heritage Level): Active skill, exclusive skill for Confucianists! Consume 1 points of righteousness to judge the target's goodness or evilness! The skill owner must be good. If the target is also judged to be good, it will force the target to grind away all hostility towards you and turn the enemy into a friend, but you will no longer be able to attack the target. If the target is judged to be evil, the target will attract the hostility of everyone and weaken the target's basic attributes by 2%! This skill lasts for 3 hours and has a cooldown of days. ]

Xia Lin felt his body sink.

But a 30% weakening of attributes is not a problem. As soon as the prompt sound of unstable mutation sounded, the debuff mutated but the mutation effect was not good. Xia Lin simply threw the debuff on Erying.

The real trouble was that Silver Axe and the Joker looked at Xia Lin at the same time, with hostility clearly visible in their eyes.

Three against one?

Yes, it's three against one.

However, the person who was beaten was not Xia Lin, but Xu Jie himself!

"Roar!"

A dull roar exploded from Silver Axe's mouth, and he instantly grew to three meters tall, with a cold iron light on his body. This skill not only strengthened Silver Axe's combat power, but also freed him from the influence of the four ends.

"How dare you, you bastard, try to trick me! Go to hell!"

The axe in his hand grew larger at the same time and swung it towards Xu Jie's head.

A look of surprise flashed in Xu Jie's eyes.

He had heard of Silver Axe's name, but had never fought with him. He didn't expect that Silver Axe would not be affected by his tricks.

He raised his hand and pushed, and as the majestic energy flowed, another skill was used.

[Four Ends. Decline (S-level): Active skill, exclusive to Confucianists. Consumes varying amounts of noble energy. After use, the opponent will be forced to move a certain distance away. The distance depends on the opponent's strength and the amount of noble energy consumed. This skill has no cooldown time.]

A low level, but very useful skill.

And this skill will not trigger the opponent's defense judgment.

Just in the next second after the skill was released, Silver Axe's huge body suddenly retreated, smashed through the wall, flew out of the abandoned hall, and no one knew where it flew to.

Xu Jie was certain.

Silver Axe doesn't want to be bothered by gossip, so get rid of Silver Axe first. Then you and the clown will be in a two-on-one situation and you will still be in the advantageous position.

But just as this thought came to his mind, a rusty dagger suddenly pierced through his chest.

Xu Jie spat out a mouthful of blood and turned his head to look behind him in shock.

Then he saw the clown behind him grinning with an exaggerated smile.

"I hate you hypocrites the most."

His voice was hoarse and low, and he laughed while twisting the rusty sword in his hand.

Large amounts of blood spurted out from Xu Jie's wound, and rust marks quickly appeared on his skin. His vitality was draining away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Instead, Xia Lin had nothing to do.

He looked at Xu Jie's move in shock, not knowing how to comment on it...

The four people present have similar strengths, all close to the top 100 in the racial sequence.

Even Xu Jie couldn't control this strong man with his innate skills, which resulted in the originally planned three-on-one situation becoming a reverse three-on-one situation...

Just when Xia Lin was a little confused by this series of events, Xu Jie took action again to save his failed decision.

A rich white light emanated from its body, which was the effect of a magic weapon that combined the abilities of injuring enemies, protecting the body, and healing oneself.

The white light fell on the clown, as if the flame had ignited the clown's clothes, and the clown retracted his dagger and disappeared into the void, disappearing without a trace.

Before Xia Lin could make a move, a bronze chariot had already gathered under Xu Jie's feet, pulling Xu Jie across the ceiling of the abandoned hall in an instant, then disappeared into the distance in a flash of light.

Six Arts. Driving.

This guy just ran away...

In the blink of an eye, the internal conflict that had just begun ended abruptly.

And the random combination in Xia Lin's hand never worked from beginning to end...

This made Xia Lin scratch his head in embarrassment. Just when he was about to say thank you to the clown who had disappeared, he suddenly heard a loud bang not far away.

The wall collapsed, and the three-meter-tall Silver Axe strode out from the ruins of the wall. He looked around and couldn't find any trace of Xu Jie, and he couldn't help but roar in anger.

"You idiot, just wait till I peel your skin off!"

He shouted while holding up his battle axe and beating his chest with his other hand.

The clown's voice was faintly heard in the void.

"Still the same suggestion, join my circus, Silver Axe, you have a talent for being a gorilla..."

Xia Lin's face twitched and he sighed softly.

"It's a bad start. The Jhin area is going to be in trouble this time."

……

In a confrontational Ashen Zone, the Ashen Zone system will evaluate the strength of the Ashen Zone Walkers on both sides of the confrontation, and then combine it with the borrowed momentum to achieve a balance of power between the two sides of the mission.

Let’s discuss this Jhin zone.

Xia Lin and four other people formed a team and were tasked with escorting.

Escort Black Flag to a location.

The other party is the intercepting party.

Since the intercepting party may be able to get help from the plot natives, in theory the strength of the intercepting party's Ash Zone Walkers will be weaker than that of the escorting party.

There could be three Ashland Walkers of Xia Lin’s level.

It could also be a Cinder Walker who is stronger than Xia Lin but slightly weaker than the four.

The specific situation depends on the strength level of the natives of the intercepting party.

And now that Xu Jie had made such a fuss, the escort's strength had suddenly been reduced by a quarter...

"More than a quarter."

The clown appeared beside Xia Lin and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xia Lin in front of the black flag.

Silver Axe also shed his deity-like deity posture and was now holding a jar of wine and drinking from it in big gulps.

After swallowing the wine, Silver Axe stroked his beard and said in a muffled voice: "Based on my impression of those hypocrites, this kid is 100% willing to abandon the light and join the dark to intercept the enemy."

As one gains, the other loses, and their strength is reduced by far more than a quarter...

However, the personal grudges between the walkers in the Ashen Zone are not within the consideration of the Ashen Zone system.

For example, Silver Axe and the Joker don't seem to get along, but that doesn't stop Jhin from directly pulling the two into the same team.

"Speaking of which." Silver Axe looked at Xia Lin and said, "You are quite an important person. It seems that you are wanted by the Six Pillars?"

Xia Lin's mouth twitched, and he sighed heavily: "It was He who provoked me first..."

Silver Axe: “…”

The clown looked at Xia Lin in surprise and said, "He's a lunatic, even crazier than me..."

Anyway, as soon as Xia Lin said this, he immediately dispelled the subsequent questions from Silver Axe and the Joker.

When it comes to matters concerning the six pillars, it’s best to stay out of it and not know anything.

"Then I also want to ask... I have such a big wanted list, aren't you two tempted?"

Xia Lin took the initiative to expose the possible hidden dangers.

The sooner this sort of thing is made clear, the better.

Xia Lin didn't want to lose half of his racial value and basic attributes easily - he was not Xu Jie who could make up for it from the wanted list.

Therefore, he was ready to complete the main mission.

Since both Silver Axe and the Joker are powerful, the team must be united and there cannot be too many hidden dangers.

The clown laughed.

"I told you, I hate those hypocrites who cultivate immortality... A few pure gangsters, what are they talking about immortality, Taoism and Confucianism? Disgusting!"

As he said this, he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at his feet.

After saying this, the clown grinned and pointed at Silver Axe who was drinking behind him.

"As for him, it's even more impossible for him to hang out with the people on the side of the Heavenly Dao Creator."

After that, the clown winked and said to Xia Lin in a loud voice, "Let me tell you, the dwarves are natural miners. Those immortal cultivators like to use dwarf slaves to mine spirit stone mines. The main star of Silver Axe is the slave star of the Shinto sect..."

A jar of wine was thrown at the clown by Silver Axe, and the clown hid in the void, but his science education was also interrupted.

Silver Axe stood up, walked to where the Joker disappeared, and reached out to pick up the black flag.

[Black Flag (Quest Item): It seems to be sealed, with no special effects, but it cannot be destroyed or modified.]

The attributes of the black flag caught Xia Lin's attention.

The word "seal" made Xia Lin vaguely sense the clue to pass the level...

But soon, Xia Lin shook his head.

The situation was a bit delicate, and right now he didn't have the time to pay attention to the clearance mission in the distance.

Silver Axe said dully, "Let's go, let's go first and see what kind of world this damn Ash Zone system has thrown us into."

(End of this chapter)