Chapter 409

"This is impossible!"

On the fourth layer of the labyrinth, Alister's angry voice echoed through every corridor, the shattered sound like the half-collapsed ground beneath Luo Yan's feet.

This god, who had fallen into madness, had merged with the entire labyrinth.

The walls were his skin, and the red mist was his breath.

He could clearly "see" everything happening inside the labyrinth, yet it was precisely the scene before his eyes that plunged him into absolute fury!

The massacre he had anticipated had not occurred.

Those undead, who feared no death, had actually stood side-by-side with the helpless magic apprentices.

The skeletons used their own fragile frames to form a sturdy defensive line, perfectly filling the weakness of the apprentices who were not skilled in close-quarters combat.

At the cost of their own destruction, they taught the living behind them the final lesson about courage.

Alister could not accept this.

His meticulously arranged Legion of Wailing Souls was actually being beaten back step by step by this makeshift coalition!

Without these three thousand pure soul fires, his grand plan to advance to the Purple Crystal Tier could not be realized, nor could he personally kill the clown who kept jumping back and forth before his eyes!

"Luo Ke Sai Kelin! What exactly have you done!" Alister roared in a frenzy, while the red mist piled up in the labyrinth fluctuated with his emotional volatility.

Dark red flesh tentacles suddenly pierced out from the ground beneath Luo Yan's feet, like thick thorns attempting to wrap around and swallow the latter.

However, the moment those infinite tentacles were about to close, they withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, like fading flowers.

Black embers burned on the ash.

Luo Yan waved his hand gently, dissipating the pure black fire held in his palm, not even glancing at the ash beneath his feet, and said in a leisurely manner.

"Based on my observations of the history of the Ao Si Continent, the rise of any faith is inevitably accompanied by bloodshed and barbarism. However, building a tower to the heavens solely with the bones, blood, and souls of mortals can never become an eternal temple. To stand at the pinnacle of the mortal world, the process may be tortuous, but in the end, it must be one that encourages people toward goodness."

Objectively speaking, Saint Xisi was undoubtedly quite advanced in the First Epoch.

The vast majority of deities, including the Nether God, were based on mythology, or were primitive religions and witchcraft based on animism. Compared to unreachable gods, the personified elemental gods were more like monarchs with joys and sorrows, and their doctrines were mostly in a state of "believe it or not."

Only Saint Xisi used the "Book of Holy Words" to civilize the barbarians, constraining believers while elevating gods to their thrones, and made a grand vow to "eliminate death" targeting the deepest longing—or desire—in the hearts of believers.

Regardless of whether this wish could be realized, it was enough that most people believed it would be.

The "Book of Holy Words" was not only about the topic of death; it could fulfill other achievable things, such as letting most people get bread.

A thousand years ago, that was a genuine "luxury item," although now you can buy a piece for 5 copper coins.

Looking at the Demon Gods of Hell, they were indeed inferior to Saint Xisi in this regard.

They also made empty promises, but they were all about hatred and destruction. Even if the servants of Saint Xisi had hypocritical and cruel sides in many places, the servants of the Demon Gods were not treated as human beings most of the time, so much so that humans would be corrupted by demons, but would never move to Hell to live. Conversely, for the demons in the Demon Capital, once a struggle failed, their first reaction was to run to human territory.

Elder Zakro had planned his escape route that way initially, but it was a pity his hands were itchy and he had to pull a big stunt before leaving; otherwise, given Ge Li Gao's indulgence toward him, he really would have gotten away.

"... As for me, I didn't do anything. If I had to say, I probably just spent some time listening to the prayers of the believers."

"Stop playing dumb! Those undead are your servants, right! Don't think I don't know—"

Alister grinned and continued to cast spells, transforming the cold rock into more and larger tentacles, launching a fierce attack on Luo Yan, who was standing in the corridor.

Luo Yan nonchalantly neutralized his attacks while also helping Sarah block two hits she might not have been able to dodge.

"Did I say they weren't?"

Alister froze, and his violent offensive paused for a moment; he clearly hadn't expected Kelin to directly admit to this serious accusation.

It wasn't just his offensive that was interrupted, but his train of thought as well; his mouth didn't stop, but he was clearly becoming incoherent.

He looked exactly like Ta Fu in a state of broken defense.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect the respected Prince Kelin to be a necromancer. Do you still remember the oath you made before the Holy Light? Ah... I almost forgot, you sold your soul to chaos long ago! And before I did!"

Hearing Alister's blustering mockery, he smiled gently.

"What are you talking about? Just because you got stronger by relying on Red Stone, it doesn't mean everyone stronger than you is particularly good at eating Red Stone."

Necromancer?

I am the Demon King.

As for chaos, this guy probably mistook the "Aether" of the Suolipuxi civilization for the privilege of the "Mist of Deception" Novier.

If you really want to calculate seniority, it's not certain who is whose father.

"%￥#@!"

Not expecting this prince to be so vulgar, Alister was completely enraged and could no longer care about the demeanor of a professor, spitting out all the nasty curses he knew.

Luo Yan ignored his impotent rage.

While using words to restrain Alister, a colorful butterfly had quietly flown out from his side, penetrating layers of flesh walls like a ghost, flying toward the deepest part of the labyrinth, the place where the energy was most concentrated.

Soon, it found it.

At the very bottom of the labyrinth, a huge artificial crystal was floating in mid-air.

It should have been emitting a soft holy light, but at this moment it was tightly wrapped by countless hideous blood-colored blood vessels, like a beating heart, providing chaotic energy for the entire labyrinth!

In front of the crystal core, a fierce battle was unfolding.

Four apprentices—Ilana, Orphia, Hard, and Bane—were actually fighting side-by-side with the four players of the "One Ye Ye Zhiqiu" team.

This scene surprised Luo Yan for a moment; he had only told the players to stop the original main quest and escort the magic apprentices to the shelter, but he hadn't expected four players who didn't follow the script to go against the grain and come directly to the fourth layer of the labyrinth.

And Orphia and the others too; after escaping death, they didn't flee immediately, but instead took advantage of Alister being unable to attend to them and went deep into the very core of the labyrinth.

Two groups of souls from different worlds met on their journey by coincidence. Not only that, they overcame their fear of each other and cooperated tacitly for the same goal, jointly defending against the Wailing Souls surging from all directions.

"Tauren, hold the left! Pig-head, the gap on the right!" One Ye Ye Zhiqiu commanded calmly, while holding a sword and shield he had picked up to serve as a damage dealer.

Although it was a pity he couldn't use the magic he was best at, he was a person who knew how to adapt, and he quickly adjusted to the new fighting style.

"Understood!" The Tauren warrior and Pig-head knight roared, guarding the passage tightly with their bodies and crude bone shields.

Behind them, Bane and Hard were concentrating on chanting spells, providing magical support for the undead in front.

As for Ilana.

Her magic power was not outstanding, but she was also trying her best to exert her strength, casting ice arrows at the surging Wailing Souls.

"Orphia! Now!" Bane suddenly shouted, a gust of wind like a heavy hammer erupting from the tip of his staff.

It was air almost compressed into a solid, and after pushing away a dozen Wailing Souls, it flew straight toward the dark red crystal floating in mid-air!

"Oh oh oh!"

Unlike her usual modest and polite self, Orphia shouted with great momentum, her slender little hands taking a thick stack of magic scrolls from her storage ring, each one emitting energy that made one's heart tremble!

Luo Yan saw this scene through the butterfly's vision and smiled knowingly.

He had originally been prepared to end this farce himself, but now it seemed there was no need for that.

Finally noticing the imminent threat, Alister let out a terrified roar filled with unwillingness.

"No—!"

It was too late.

While he was restraining Kelin, Kelin was also restraining him.

The bursting flames bloomed with an unprecedentedly scorching light under the combustion-supporting effect of the high-pressure air!

That light lit up new inspiration for fire magic in the hearts of Hard and Bane, and completely shattered Alister's ambition.

He tried to mobilize the full power of the labyrinth to suppress it, but everything was too late. Especially when he saw the butterfly quietly landing on Orphia's shoulder, he completely dismissed the idea of rushing over to tear these four apprentices to pieces.

That would be equivalent to throwing himself into a trap!

Accompanied by a heaven-shaking roar, a violent energy erupted from the depths of the shattered labyrinth core, instantly collapsing everything Alister had built with chaotic power.

His soul let out a painful wail, feeling as if a part of his soul had been torn alive by that power!

At the same time, the flesh walls that had merged with him began to die off on a large scale, and the dark red crystals shattered inch by inch like peeling skin!

The entire labyrinth was wailing in pain like a dying giant beast, falling apart along with his newly formed "Divine Domain."

Terror gripped Alister's heart!

The dream of breaking through to the Purple Crystal Tier had vanished into thin air, and his only thought now was to escape this damn snowfield before other sages heard the news and arrived!

As long as he lived, there was a chance!

He forcibly stripped his will from this "body" that was collapsing, frantically traveling upward, and finally, amidst a spray of flying gravel, stumbled out from behind a wall on the first layer!

The broken exit was right before his eyes!

The cold wind of freedom seemed to have already brushed against his cheeks, carrying a clear sweetness of clearing clouds to see the sun.

However, before Alister could take that step, a profound darkness bloomed without warning from the shadows in the corner of his eye.

It was a javelin condensed from pure black flame!

It was silent, yet more lethal than any sound, instantly piercing his chest and pinning him tightly to the collapsed stone wall behind him!

"Ugh—!!"

Alister screamed in pain, lowered his head, and looked in disbelief at the hole in his chest that was burning his soul.

The power of chaos could not extinguish that black flame!

At this moment, a slender figure walked slowly out of the shadows beside him. In those calm eyes, Alister saw his complete defeat in despair.

"As you said," Luo Yan's voice came clearly, with a hint of mockery, "even between gods, there exists a chasm as deep as the abyss."

How similar fate truly is.

That apprentice named Milos back then seemed to have met the same end.

As the controller of the Thorn Society, Alister probably wouldn't have thought when crushing that ant that he, who was already above ten thousand people, would one day fall to the same fate.

God will forgive a wicked person who is forced by circumstances and repents from the heart, but will never forgive the perpetrator who refuses to repent even when death is imminent.

"You... when did you..." Alister's mouth filled with blood, staring fixedly at Kelin, who should have been in the deepest part of the labyrinth, "... appear there?"

"Is that all you want to ask?"

Luo Yan smiled slightly, but that smile was more terrifying to Alister than a demon, as if he were a true god.

"It's not just you; there are many pairs of eyes in the labyrinth."

That voice was like a breeze blowing out a candle, extinguishing Alister's last glimmer of hope.

The ensuing flames instantly crawled all over his body, shattering his soul to pieces amidst his twisted wails.

A cloud of gray mist surged from his body, attempting to escape outward.

However, it had barely flown a meter before it was spotted by the sharp-eyed You You.

"Lord Demon King! It's the divinity of chaos! Don't let it run away!"

Luo Yan didn't speak after hearing this, just extended his right hand. The ethereal gray mist was like a candle in the wind, and with a grasp into the void, it was completely annihilated.

Professor Alister had clearly only recently obtained the divinity bestowed by the Crown of Arrogance, and this divine power that did not belong to him had not yet stabilized into a true divinity.

Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. At the same time, a stream of refined, pure energy quietly merged into his sea of consciousness, which was as vast as a tidal wave...

What followed was an unprecedented sense of refreshment.

Luo Yan sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness and simply confirmed his attribute panel.

【

ID: Luo Yan

Race: Human

Soul Level: Diamond (Level Cap LV130)

Level: LV. 118 (+7)

Constitution: 109 (+7)

Strength: 55 (+7)

Agility: 62 (+7)

Intelligence: 469 (+42)

Spirit: 449 (+42)

】

Unsurprisingly, he leveled up again.

And he actually leveled up seven times!

Although he didn't break through the Diamond Tier bottleneck because of this, he had taken a big step toward the Purple Crystal Tier...

Luo Yan, having confirmed his attribute panel, did not linger, but immediately activated the ability of the "Butterfly of Myriad Phenomena" to teleport to the cave where the labyrinth core was located.

The situation here was even worse than he had expected.

Alister's body had turned to ash in the black flames, but the collapse of this labyrinth had not stopped!

The narrow space was filled with choking dust, and huge stones were falling from the dome like raindrops.

The four skeletons of the "One Ye Ye Zhiqiu" team had long been smashed into piles of broken bones, with only a few tattered pieces of equipment proving they had existed.

Luo Yan didn't feel sorry for them.

According to You You, they had long since switched back to their original "game characters" and were currently celebrating their victory at the Necropolis.

It wouldn't be long before they received the dungeon clearance rewards, which would be enough to keep them happy for a good while.

And at the other end of the cave, the trial of the magic apprentices was still continuing.

Hard and Bane were holding their magic wands, working together to support a magic shield, protecting themselves and the teammates behind them.

That shield was covered in spiderweb-like cracks under the impact of the boulders, emitting a groan of being unable to bear the weight, and could shatter completely at any moment.

"Damn it... Bane, did you not eat?! Use more strength!"

"??? You have the nerve to say that to me? Didn't you brag to me that you were only a little bit away from breaking through to the Steel Tier? Is this all you've got!?"

"Enough! Think of a way! The labyrinth is collapsing, and we're all going to be buried alive!"

"Saint Xisi above... unless Saint Xisi himself descends, I can't think of any way!"

Although the two were complaining and saying discouraging words, not one of them threw away the crumbling shield to abandon their teammates and flee individually.

They were all students of Prince Kelin.

Even if this sentence wasn't enough to be the reason for them to persist to the end, coincidentally, not one of that prince's students was a coward.

Perhaps this is also a case of like attracting like.

Behind the two bickering guys, Ilana was trying her best to drag Orphia out from under a heavy broken wall.

"Cough, cough..."

Orphia coughed up blood, her face as pale as paper.

She looked at the shield above her head that was about to collapse, the stubbornly struggling Ilana, and her own bloodied right leg, and squeezed out a smile of relief.

"Ilana... I... actually want to apologize to you."

"Stop talking, I don't want to hear it!" Ilana's voice was choked with sobs, and her usually calm face now showed a rare, irrepressible sadness.

"No! I want to say it... My god told me this might be my last chance..."

Orphia took a deep breath, her smile carrying a hint of sincere repentance, as if she were facing not just her friend, but the Holy Light standing behind her.

"After I discovered Miss Lastina's conspiracy, I was blinded by anger and arrogance... I didn't tell you, nor did I tell the mentor, but instead made a unilateral decision to go on this adventure, which almost caused you to really fall into danger."

Hot tears streamed down Ilana's cheeks, falling drop by drop onto Orphia's face.

"Stop it... I never blamed you! That wasn't your fault at all! If even you are at fault, then I am also to blame; it was I who didn't notice the conspiracy of Anjie and Miss Lastina, and instead got you involved in such a dangerous accident because of my own problems!"

Why is it that the person who truly should apologize doesn't say a word of "sorry" even until death, and would rather die than take responsibility for their own mistakes?

Instead, kind people generously shoulder sins that don't belong to them, and are even afraid that their limited time won't be enough to repent.

Is there any justice in this world?

Ilana had never prayed so earnestly.

She prayed for the protection of the gods—

She was willing to offer eternal piety, only asking for a miracle to descend and take Miss Orphia, Bane, and Senior Hard away from here!

Seeing that usually calm face blurred by tears, a soft smile suddenly appeared on Orphia's face.

"Is that so? Then I can rest easy... It seems I am still your best friend in the world. Although I don't care about some empty ranking, I can't let some hypocritical person take this spot."

"Orphia... you have always been... my best friend! I beg you, don't say any more..."

Feeling the hot tears dripping on her face, Orphia gently held her arm.

"Ilana... don't worry about me. Even if you drag me out, I'm afraid I won't get far, and I'll only cause everyone to die together. Besides... as for me, someone will come to pick me up, and I'm actually more worried about you guys."

Her voice trembled from weakness, yet the smile in her eyes remained generous and bright, even carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Tell my father for me that the daughter of Andre Castellion did not waste her life... I experienced a wonderful adventure, just like my ancestors, although perhaps not as legendary as theirs."

"No... I won't leave you! We'll go out together!" Ilana shook her head, crying, and used all her strength to drag Orphia another inch.

However, her movement caused Orphia so much pain she almost passed out; she had a bone stuck in a gap in the rocks.

Luo Yan felt the pain just watching.

It's truly impressive that this girl can endure so much.

"Ilana is right," a gentle voice suddenly sounded beside them, clearly penetrating all the roars, "at any time, we must not give up lightly."

"Prince Kelin?!"

The four apprentices turned back in surprise, only to see their respected mentor had appeared beside them at some point, his smile as warm as a spring breeze, without a speck of dust on it.

At this moment, Bane suddenly felt a trance, his wand pointing at the sky wavered, and he fell straight backward.

Hard was startled at the sight.

"Oh no—"

Before his words could finish, a gentle force lifted the falling boulders one by one from bottom to top.

Along with the boulder that was pinning Orphia's right leg!

Prince Kelin, standing in the center of the chaos, just raised his hand casually, and a barrier as clear as a sunny sky instantly unfolded with him as the center, wrapping everyone present inside.

All the boulders crashing toward the barrier were blocked by the indestructible barrier. That slightly raised right hand supported a piece of absolutely safe sky for this desperate situation.

Inside the cave, there was instantly only the dull roar outside the barrier, and the exhausted gasps of the four young people...

Luo Yan, having finished all this, did not stop his actions; with a gentle wave of the wand in his sleeve, a holy light that smoothed over all trauma fell onto Orphia's right leg.

Her injuries were serious, but they were not caused by chaos, and her soul was undamaged, so it was relatively easy to heal.

At least for Luo Yan, who had already reached the Diamond Tier, it was so.

An itchy feeling came from below, and Orphia couldn't help but let out a soft hum.

Then she saw in surprise that her broken lower leg had actually grown back, the fair skin as smooth as new!

At this moment, a line of dialogue flashed through Orphia's mind—

"Where the light reaches, darkness has nowhere to hide!"

For a moment, she suddenly discovered in surprise that the figure had actually overlapped with a character in a novel she had read!

Although what he held in his hand was not a knight's longsword but a magic wand, he had perfectly practiced this maxim with his own words and deeds.

That was the kind of "cool" she had always wanted to pull off.

That prince had finished "pulling it off" with just a slight move...

Seeing Orphia staring straight at him, Luo Yan's warm smile remained unchanged, but his voice took on a hint of severity.

"... Especially Miss Orphia Castellion, you should remember this sentence even more. I have to criticize you on behalf of your father; after all, he wrote to me personally to entrust you to me. If something happened to you, how would I answer to him?"

To his surprise.

This time Orphia didn't argue or talk back with dissatisfaction, but buried her head with a flushed face, as docile as a well-fed cat.

"I'm sorry..."

Very good.

It seems she really was reflecting on her own problems.

Moving his gaze away from Orphia, Luo Yan cast his eyes toward the labyrinth core not far away that had completely shattered.

It was done quite convincingly.

Perhaps in another hundred years, the Empire might really be able to figure out its own "labyrinth" and stick a nail into Hell's territory in reverse.

By that time, Hell would probably be getting anxious.

Luo Yan, unconcerned, withdrew his gaze, looked around at the four disheveled young people, and said with a smile.

"Although many accidents occurred, I still have to congratulate you; you are the champions of this year's labyrinth trial!"