Volume One: The Hell-Level Lord's World Chapter 75: The Undead's Siege

"Welcome, Emissary of the Queen."

As Chen Gu stepped into the council hall of Crow’s Nest City, he heard a voice.

Startled, Chen Gu swiftly turned toward the source of the voice.

He saw an ancient, withered face embedded in the wall of the council chamber.

“There’s no need to be so tense. When the city was sealed, the lord wasn’t sure when it would be reopened, so he prepared a few of us long-lived heroes in advance.

My name is Peter Withered-Heart, a hero transformed from the Ancient Tree of Wisdom. I can live between three thousand and forty-five hundred years. For now, I serve as the acting lord of Crow’s Nest City.

Another is named Kebas Tedd, who commands the swarm outside. So long as his swarm lives, he is nearly unkillable.

Lastly, there is Blufid. His grandfather was the first hero to tame a wild hydra, and he himself bears hydra blood. He is still in slumber, but the serpent sphere outside is under his control.”

Peter gave a brief explanation of the situation in Crow’s Nest City.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gu understood immediately that when the city was sealed, the lord had already made plans for its eventual reopening and put several arrangements in place.

“What’s happening outside?” Chen Gu asked, still puzzled, as the rain he had just witnessed was exceedingly dangerous.

“Oh, that’s part of the unsealing protocol. After all, we couldn’t know whether, after thousands of years, our marshlands might have been occupied by others. We need to clear the surface first.”

Peter explained the situation outside, then turned to Chen Gu. “My lord, should we begin the expansion of Crow’s Nest City now?”

“If we do, how many troops can we muster? When I entered, I saw a horde of undead preparing to attack.”

“Undead, you say? I’ll have to ask. Kebas, can you hear me? Is there fighting outside?” Peter used something resembling a water basin to contact the other hero of Crow’s Nest City.

Chen Gu peered over and saw, in the basin, a man with a tiger’s head. Behind him was an unmistakable nest of flesh and blood.

Upon seeing Peter, the man grinned and said, “Long time no see, Peter. Those fellows outside—just a bunch of blind undead. They’ve come a few times before. I’ve always driven them off, but now they’re back for another attempt.

Give me a moment, and I’ll deal with them.”

At that moment, Kebas noticed Chen Gu peeking in. His eyes gleamed. “Peter, who is this? Don’t tell me we’re finally unsealed?”

“This is the Queen’s Emissary. He brings word of the unsealing.”

Peter clarified, “Hurry up and deal with those undead so we can expand Crow’s Nest City. After all these years sealed in, I’m going mad.”

“Don’t worry. Leave the undead to me.”

With that, Kebas cut off the connection.

“He’s always like this—impatient. Please don’t take it amiss, my lord,” Peter apologized to Chen Gu.

“It’s fine. By the way, what rank will Crow’s Nest City be once unsealed, and how many troops can we field?”

What Chen Gu cared about most was how much military strength he’d have after the city was unsealed.

“Crow’s Nest City itself is only level six. With the city sealed, resources have been nearly exhausted over the years. When unsealed, it will return to level six status.

However, it will take about a week to reactivate all the city’s buildings.

As for troops, we only have the swarm and the hydra left. No other forces remain—not even residents.”

Chen Gu was already accustomed to such situations. Silver Pine Vale had been the same: sealed for years with no resources, and now having a few heroes was already a fortunate outcome—let alone having both a swarm and a hydra. Judging from earlier, those tunneling worms were likely part of the swarm.

As for the hydra, Chen Gu wasn’t sure of their exact level, but at the very least, they wouldn’t be below level five.

With this, he finally had military strength at his disposal.

A gleam of excitement flashed in Chen Gu’s eyes.

“As long as there are troops, that’s enough,” Chen Gu said proactively. “Do you need my help to deal with the undead outside?”

“No need. I trust Kebas can handle everything.”

As he spoke, Peter opened the water basin, letting Chen Gu observe the situation outside.

But after only a brief glance, Peter sensed something amiss.

The number of undead seemed off.

At least thirty thousand skeleton soldiers had surged into the Crow’s Nest Marsh. Their weapons and armor were battered, giving them the look of mere rabble, but their movements betrayed them—all were at least level two.

Some had even advanced to become Skeleton Warriors or Skeleton Guards.

These troops hovered just out of the swarm’s reach.

The greatest strength of the mosquito swarm hovering above the marsh was their bloodsucking ability.

Without blood to drain, their effectiveness plummeted.

Following the skeleton soldiers were over five thousand wraiths.

Like the skeletons, these wraiths were deployed specifically to counter the marsh’s defenses. They, too, had no blood, rendering the mosquito swarm useless against them.

Nor could the tunneling worms drag them underground. They were the ideal force for such terrain.

As soon as they charged into the marsh, Kebas’s side was suppressed.

Wave after wave of the swarm hurled themselves at the enemy, but inflicted little harm.

On the contrary, ghostly attacks swiftly decimated swathes of the insects.

The skeleton soldiers seized the opportunity to assault the tunneling worms emerging from underground, slaying them one after another.

By now, the white mist had advanced close to the marsh.

Within it, Chen Gu glimpsed massive beasts—colossi entirely assembled from bones.

Each stood over ten meters tall, their forms clearly modeled after Behemoths.

There were about fifty such giants.

Upon each one stood a small squad of necromancers—some with six or seven, at least four at minimum.

One directed the giant, while the others readied their staves.

This was the leader’s plan.

He knew well that beneath the marsh lay countless corpses.

Once the bone giants entered the swamp, the necromancers would unleash their full power, raising the corpses below as new undead to join his ranks.

At that point, the marsh would become his new city.