novelraw Chapter 258-2: Spirit Tablet of the Yokai, Easter Egg Chapter – Seven-Star Guardians (2)
Chapter 258-2: Spirit Tablet of the Yokai, Easter Egg Chapter – Seven-Star Guardians (2)
[…]
[The Northern Dipper Demon-Subduing Altar guarding the mortal realm was on the verge of collapse. An endless horde of Outer Demons was about to surge in…]
[The seven Northern Dipper Star Lords were the last hope of billions of living beings. Invincible Star Lords were the final bulwark against the Outer Demons’ invasion.]
[You are one of the Seven Star Lords!]
[The seven celestial palaces beside the Demon-Subduing Altar were the only paths to the human world. You must defend the Heavenly Gates within the palaces, repel the Outer Demons, and protect humanity…]
[The Demon-Subduing Altar suppresses a total of nine kinds of Outer Demons. Each time the altar’s sealing power weakens, one type of Outer Demon will surge forth.]
[Each day, the altar’s sealing power will weaken three times, each weakening lasting for half an hour. If you successfully repel all nine kinds of Outer Demons within three days, it will be considered a successful defense.]
[If, during the defense, more than half of the celestial palaces fall, it will be deemed a failure.]
[Should the Seven Star Lords successfully repel the Outer Demon invasion, they will receive the favor and reward of the Heavenly Dao. If the defense fails, the human realm will collapse, and this world will be destroyed.]
[Please choose which celestial palace you wish to guard, and summon the other six Star Lords…][Apostle, you have activated the Easter Egg Chapter’s Peaceful Summoning Mode!]
[Summoning invitations have been automatically sent to the fifth-difficulty Apostles in your Book Friends list…]
[1. Apostle: Star Glaze]
[2. Apostle: Little White Deer]
[3. Apostle: Glory War Wolf]
[4. …No other Apostles of this difficulty detected.]
[Due to insufficient Book Friends, please input the Soul Imprints of the remaining Apostles. After the summoned Apostles agree, you may enter this chapter together to help guard the celestial palaces and protect the human realm…]
[You may also choose Random Summon to fulfill your mission of defending humanity.]
[Please note: whether you designate or randomly summon, you can only summon Apostles of the current difficulty (Fifth Chapter Difficulty)!]
[Do you wish to begin summoning immediately? Once the summoning is complete, the sealing power of the Northern Dipper Demon-Subduing Altar will weaken, allowing the Outer Demons to surge forth…]
Lin Xun had several question marks floating above his forehead.
Just as he was feeling completely bewildered, his phone rang. The caller ID displayed: Black Stocking Lady.
As soon as he picked up, his female superior’s surprised voice came through.
“Lin Xun, did you just unlock the Easter Egg Chapter of the Outer Demon Invasion?”
Lin Xun was taken aback. How did his female superior know the content of the Easter Egg Chapter? Could it be that the official side had once formed a party to tackle it?
After an in-depth conversation with his superior, he finally understood the situation.
“The official Apostles did indeed attempt it once, but that Easter Egg Chapter was Chapter 8714, and all the participants were fourth-difficulty Apostles… In the end, the attempt failed.”
There had once been an official Apostle who was lucky enough to obtain an Easter Egg Bookmark, and it happened to be Chapter 8714, which was one difficulty lower than his.
It was said that Apostle was from the Logistics Division of Jinling City in the Scattered Provinces, and everyone in his Book Friends list were also colleagues from the Logistics Division.
And because the combat strength of the Logistics Division’s Apostles was rather lackluster, honestly, even worse than random summons, they unsurprisingly suffered a total wipeout.
The Easter Egg Chapters contained all sorts of strange formats: some were climbing-tower challenges like a ladder trial, some were exploration and puzzle-solving expeditions, and some were fully-fledged worlds akin to main chapters.
What Lin Xun had encountered this time was an Easter Egg Chapter resembling a tower defense scenario, with the goal of guarding the celestial palaces and repelling the Outer Demon invasion.
Each day required repelling three waves of Outer Demons, and if nine waves were successfully repelled over three days, the chapter would be cleared and rewards settled.
Once the summoning-type Easter Egg Chapter was fully interpreted, the Apostle who unlocked the chapter would receive generous rewards, while the other summoned Apostles could also reap some benefits.
However, if the summoned Apostles were too weak, leading to more than half the celestial palaces falling, that would count as a failed defense. The Easter Egg Chapter’s world would be destroyed, and all rewards would be forfeit.
Failing the defense not only meant losing out on the rewards but also incurred certain penalties, such as reduced earnings in the next chapter or having some kind of negative debuff permanently branded by the Infernal Game.
According to Li Xingyue, the Logistics Division in Jinling hadn’t even held out against the third wave of Outer Demons on the first day. They managed to achieve the ‘Four Palaces Lost’ achievement right away, then failed the defense.
All the Apostles who participated in the Easter Egg Chapter received a negative debuff from the Infernal Game, Spirit Essence gains reduced by thirty percent, which could only be lifted after fully interpreting a main chapter.
“Lin Xun, how many Apostles have you summoned so far?”
“Including you and me, there are four. Three summoning slots remain.”
Star Glaze was Li Xingyue, Little White Deer was Lu Caiyi, and that Glory War Wolf was the Armed Division’s Team Leader, Wang Zong…
As for Ye Xiaoqi, An Yun, An Ying, and the other Intelligence Division colleagues already on his Book Friends list, they hadn’t yet reached the fifth difficulty, so naturally they couldn’t be summoned into this Easter Egg Chapter.
“The remaining three slots, I can help you coordinate and recruit elite Apostles from headquarters or other regions to join you in tackling this Easter Egg Chapter…”
Lin Xun clicked his tongue, unable to help feeling that having such a superior was a blessing, she could even help him summon powerful teammates to push through the chapter together.
“Thank you, boss. I have no way to repay you other than offering myself.”
“Heh, who would want that? And another thing, how much do you plan to charge for the entry fee?”
Entry fee?
Lin Xun’s eyes widened.