Arrow Tower Upgraded to Level 3

Upgrading a Level 2 arrow tower to Level 3 required fifty ghost stones. He currently still had 120 ghost stones left. Without lingering, he pulled five Level 2 ghost stones glowing with green light from his robes. The ghost stones shattered, dissolving into wisps of eerie green fluid that drifted through the air and darted into the nearest Level 2 arrow tower. A panel promptly popped up before him. - [Arrow Tower upgraded to Level 3.] [Please select an upgrade path.] [1: Crossbow bolts will be imbued with the fire element, increasing their power.] [2: Grants active skill 'Arrow Rain Storm'. When activated, the mounted crossbow atop the tower fires rapidly at a high angle, pouring down a dense shower of arrows over a designated area for several seconds. Costs 1 ghost stone.] [3: Crossbow bolts will be imbued with the lightning element, effectively paralyzing enemies and dealing chain damage to up to three creatures near the struck target.] - "An active skill." Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly at the upgrade options before him. This was the first time an active skill had appeared as an upgrade path, and its effect looked quite impressive. If a swarming horde of ghost creatures stormed the camp, a single skill could resolve it. Moreover, the cost was minimal—just one ghost stone. After reaching Level 3, the arrow tower was already beginning to transform. Its original framework of mixed wood and stone turned into solid stone, blending seamlessly with the wall as if they were one. It had become much sturdier. The bolts from the active skill "Arrow Rain Storm" only carried the power of a Level 2 arrow tower's bolts, offering no major boost in raw destructive power. However, it was exceptionally effective against a massive ghost tide of weak creatures. Though it tempted him greatly, he ultimately chose the first upgrade path, once again elevating the arrow tower's single-target damage capability. Outside the camp, the two ghost creature sub-leaders and the female ghost of unknown strength atop the sedan chair were still watching him like hawks. What he needed most right now was a means of threatening those three. The instant he made his choice, the arrow tower transformed once more. The crossbow mechanism at the top shifted slowly from its original pitch-black color to a dark crimson. Thick flames erupted from the latch at the front of the crossbow, flickering defiantly in the torrential downpour. The entire weapon took on a far more intimidating, soul-stirring aura. From the looks of it, every time a structure leveled up, three upgrade paths appeared to choose from. And these three upgrade paths seemed fixed—at least, the options for both of his arrow towers were identical. Just then— Quehou's urgent voice reached his ears: "Young Master, a ghost tide is charging at us!" Chen Fan looked in the direction Quehou indicated. Several dozen meters outside the camp, a massive horde of ghost creatures surged like a tidal wave from the north, charging straight toward the camp with no intention of veering away. He frowned slightly. This wave of ghost creatures was not under the command of those three leaders. They were travelers passing through the Eternal Night—small creatures roughly the size of human infants, limbless, their bodies consisting entirely of plump, fleshy balls covered in palm-sized human faces. They were utterly bizarre. Their mode of travel was rolling. There were great numbers of them; a single glance revealed well over a hundred, and an endless stream of fleshy spheres kept emerging from the grey fog behind them, stretching beyond sight. However, their pace was not fast. They rolled along leisurely, as if out for a stroll. The several human faces on the surface of the fleshy balls even displayed emotions. At first, they wore cheerful smiles, but as they neared the camp, every face twisted into an ugly, agonized grimace. "Stationmaster, those are 'flesh worm ghosts'!" Standing on the wall with his broadsword in hand, Zhou Mo spoke in rapid, urgent bursts: "I know these creatures. They only appear during the rainy season and never show up in ordinary Eternal Nights! They have no real attack methods—their only attack is self-detonation! "They detonate upon touching any relatively hard object, melting entirely into a viscous green fluid with extreme corrosiveness. If a human touches that fluid, they melt away in sheer agony! "They'll do substantial damage to the wall! "These flesh worm ghosts are the culprits behind the destruction of many walled cities during the rainy season. They move in packs, surging relentlessly like a tide. Once they appear in swarms, it usually means the walls will fall!" "..." Chen Fan did not reply. Time was of the essence; slow as these flesh worm ghosts moved, they were already only a dozen meters from the camp. Several were even momentarily lifted into the air by the howling wind before slamming back down to the ground and continuing their roll forward. He turned his head toward the sedan chair lurking in the grey fog west of the camp. The moment the flesh worm ghosts appeared, that sedan chair and the ghost creatures surrounding it had silently retreated into the fog and vanished into the Eternal Night. "How considerate!" He took a deep breath, fished another five greenish ghost stones from his robes, and thrust them into the adjacent Level 2 arrow tower. As it upgraded to Level 3, he selected the "Arrow Rain Storm" active skill upgrade path! The camp had reached a critical juncture of life and death. If both packs of ghost creatures attacked the camp simultaneously, it would have been disastrous. Fortunately, the female ghost had withdrawn her underlings into the Eternal Night. Of course, he didn't believe she was simply being honorable and refusing to gang up on him. Evidently, she feared the flesh worm ghosts as well, unwilling to get caught in the collateral damage. "Yaaahhh!" A piercing screech resounded across the camp. The first flesh worm ghost had breached the grey fog and entered camp grounds. The moment the faces on the fleshy sphere sensed the ghost fire, they involuntarily unleashed bloodcurdling screams, their features contorted in excruciating pain. They clearly despised approaching the ghost fire. Yet its body obediently continued rolling straight toward the camp. As more and more flesh worm ghosts rolled into the camp, ear-splitting shrieks rose and fell, blending into a cacophony. The next moment— Runes inlaid upon the mounted crossbow atop one of the Level 3 arrow towers on the wall blazed with light. Dozens of arcane, intricate runes glowing white lifted from the weapon and hovered around the tower. Then: *Click.* A faint, almost imperceptible click of clockwork sounded. Countless arrows of light shot forth in rapid succession from the crossbow, surging into the sky like a reverse waterfall. Dozens of meters up, they gathered into a cloud of light arrows before raining down like divine retribution, interleaving with the torrential downpour to blanket the entire area north of the wall. *Ssssszzzt...* Dozens of rolling flesh worm ghosts suffered the strike and were nearly wiped out. Sizzling sounds, like red-hot iron plunging into butter, rose continuously. As the arrows of light slowly dissipated, all that remained was a ground covered with flesh worm ghosts dissolving into puddle after puddle of green liquid, hissing and corroding the barren earth. Ghost stones tumbled from their carcasses, lying quietly amid the puddle of liquid, looking extraordinarily enticing. The first charge of the flesh worm ghosts was nearly annihilated. The arrow rain's area of effect had not been large enough to catch everything, leaving a few stragglers. Though the few stragglers rolled past the perimeter, their destination was not the wall; instead, they skirted the wall's edge, hurried across the camp, and rolled onward into the Eternal Night, showing not the slightest inclination to turn back or linger.