Chapter 325: The Battle of Golden City Begins
Three days later, on a fine morning, Yuliya made her grand entrance into the palace’s back Grand Square, surrounded by her trusty trio.
This place was off-limits to regular folks and served as the nerve center of the Golden City’s magical array.
Beneath the square, array patterns sprawled out like a giant, intricate spiderweb, extending far and wide throughout the Golden City.
At the very heart of the square stood an impressive golden statue.
Its features were so indistinct it was almost like a faceless mannequin, representing the royal family of the Golden Kingdom in a very vague kind of way.
With all preparations complete, Yuliya closed her eyes and patiently waited for the moment.
As the clock struck eight, Yuliya suddenly opened her eyes wide, unleashing a surge of power that flowed directly into the golden statue.
The statue came to life, its dark golden hue slowly brightening, becoming dazzling and then… BOOM! It erupted with a burst of golden light.
The ground shimmered with sparks that spread out like a lit fuse, eventually illuminating the entire Golden City.
In the next instant, a golden beam shot skyward from the statue, aiming for the crescent moon above.
The beam spread out, forming a semi-circular shield of light that enveloped the Golden City.
Meanwhile, from outside the city, the shimmering shield was still visible under the blazing sun, growing brighter by the second.
Finally, yet another beam shot up from the top of the Golden City straight into the heavens.
Accompanied by a powerful wave of energy that stirred up gusty winds and clouds of sand, the tremor echoed through the desert realm like a space quake, radiating in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the desert started to boil with excitement.
Countless players on the city walls gasped in unison, their eyes wide with shock at this earth-shattering display of power.
The players from the Huaxia Server were both excited and a bit panicked.
This spectacle was far more grandiose than the Jade Emperor’s coronation! Just what kind of heavy hitters is this going to attract…?
Even in the farthest reaches of the Jade Emperor Kingdom, at the northern fortress, they detected this rumbling.
“Report! Unusual activity detected in the Desert Realm!”
Isaac received the urgent report, his brow furrowing for a moment before he composed himself.
Just two days ago, Yuliya had mentioned potential turmoil brewing in the Desert Realm.
She told him not to worry and just focus on keeping the fortress secure.
“Give me more details!”
“The monster uprising level is classified as extreme! The disturbance spans over half a domain!”
“What! That’s insane?!”
Even he couldn’t contain his astonishment, jumping to his feet.
If this kind of chaos were to spill over through the gates, even he wouldn’t be able to handle it alone and would need to request assistance from the Imperial Capital.
And could Yuliya really manage it all herself?
Isaac wasn’t sure about the current situation of the adventurers in the Golden City, but from his understanding, relying on those reckless adventurers wouldn’t be enough.
No way! He couldn’t just sit on his hands!
“Send someone to use the princess’s teleportation array to investigate the situation!”
But after a moment, another report came in: “Teleportation array connection failed, unable to use.”
“What? Then send people on the fastest steeds to investigate!”
He dismissed everyone and took out a communication crystal to report the situation to Elia, who was far off in Emerald City.
He couldn’t make any moves until Elia made specific arrangements.
Strange happenings in the Desert Realm meant his top priority was to hold the line here; otherwise, he would’ve liked nothing more than to jump right in.
“Hope Yuliya is alright. My uncle is over there too.”
Isaac shut his eyes, both comforting himself and perhaps even praying…
In the Golden City, the moment the beam shot into the sky, the main quest timer began.
Simultaneously, all teleportation arrays within the Golden City went dead.
Players in the Golden City couldn’t teleport out, and players from major cities couldn’t teleport in.
Even Yuliya’s personal teleport array went kaput.
The Golden City had turned into a relative fortress, cut off from the outside world.
The grand barrier of the Golden City was both a stout defense and a do-or-d*e catalyst.
“It’s begun,” Yuliya murmured softly.
She kept her gaze fixed on the crescent moon above, as if peering through the false night sky to see the blue sky beyond.
Perhaps even beyond that, to the void outside of the world.
At this moment, she was the only one left in the square; everyone else had dashed off, preoccupied with their own affairs.
Ten hours. Just ten hours to hold out, and this would all be over.
Yuliya shook her head, pushing away her overthinking.
She began to keep an eye on the players’ movements.
She wasn’t entirely sure about the current number of players in Emerald City, only knowing that many more had arrived over the past three days.
In her NPC capacity, she couldn’t exactly jump into the players’ battles, but she could at least check in and get a general idea.
Like the previous event in the Ruinous Country, this time the players were still divided into four camps, each guarding one side of the Golden City.
But unlike that time, these players were surprisingly united.
There was even a central command coordinating and leading the four groups in battle.
Right now, the city defense was still in its preliminary stages, with each side fending for themselves according to their best judgment.
The initial mobs were fairly weak, all monsters the players were quite familiar with.
In the past few months, players had repeatedly set out from the Golden City to hunt in designated areas, trodding the grounds around the city for dozens of kilometers.
The monsters in this area had been wiped out time and time again, so they were as familiar with them as old socks.
When they spotted the creatures emerging from the sands, the players calmly charged out to engage.
With a few swift strikes, they finished off the fight and moved on to the next wave.
No big deal, just a matter of experience.
The newcomers just needed to follow the veterans.
They casually scooped up the crystals dropped by the monsters, knowing they would automatically be absorbed by the barrier when they returned to the city.
Before long, the first wave of monsters was mostly dispatched, and small groups re-entered the city to regroup.
The occasional wounded player was usually a newbie.
Those leaving the city were mostly old hands bringing the fresh meat along for training.
They treated the initial phase as a training opportunity.
The majority of players acclimated quickly once they arrived at the city.
It was the perfect time for them to get a little familiar with their surroundings and prepare for the impending showdown.
This was an easy time—the monsters were weak, and there weren’t too many of them, providing no opportunity to get close to the Golden City.
But everyone knew this was just the beginning; the real troublesome monsters were still en route, and these relaxed moments wouldn’t last long.
Far away, sandstorms billowed on the horizon, waves rising to obscure a good portion of the sky.
That’s where the true challenge awaited, waiting to sharpen their skills.
