Chapter 196

Luo En and Daier walked cautiously through the twisted battlefield, vigilant at all times for threats that might appear around them.

"Master, look over there!" Daier suddenly pointed into the distance, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.

Following the direction she pointed, Luo En saw a huge building ruin.

It was a building that might have originally been some kind of temple or fortress, but now it had been twisted beyond recognition by abyssal energy.

The walls were bent at impossible angles, and tissue similar to muscles grew between the stones, making the whole thing look like a skinned human organ.

Most striking was a tower in the center of the ruins, with a deep blue light flickering at the top, like a lighthouse guiding the way.

"That should be it," Luo En judged: "That is very likely the control point we need to find."

They quickened their pace toward the ruins, but the closer they got, the more he felt a strange sense of unease.

A peculiar energy fluctuation permeated the air, not the corrosive power from the abyss, but some kind of more ancient, purer existence.

"Master... something is watching us," Daier suddenly said in a low voice; her keen siren senses captured the abnormality around them.

Luo En nodded; he also felt that feeling of being watched.

It was as if countless eyes were hidden in every shadow of the ruins, coldly watching these two intruders.

"Stay vigilant; don't get too far from me," Luo En instructed, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

However, they walked all the way to the entrance of the ruins without encountering any attacks.

This eerie silence made people even more uneasy.

The interior of the ruins presented a surreal scene.

The walls and ground were covered with a layer of wriggling fleshy tissue, which would occasionally twitch irregularly, making a moist sound;

Countless translucent sac-like objects hung from the ceiling, with human-like outlines vaguely visible inside, but they were not entirely human, but some kind of indescribable twisted existence;

A damp and fishy, sweet scent permeated the air, just like inside some large creature.

He carefully avoided those wriggling fleshy tissues on the ground, looking for the path to the central tower.

"Master, what are those?" Daier pointed to some strange symbols on the wall.

Those symbols looked like some kind of ancient script.

But the lines were twisted and deformed, with a sense of unnatural flow, wriggling on the stone wall like living things.

Luo En approached to observe, but found that those symbols would change subtly when he stared at them, becoming even harder to identify, as if they were consciously avoiding understanding.

"Should be ancient script twisted by the power of the abyss, possibly recording the history or purpose of this place."

Luo En speculated, but he knew that now was not the time to study ancient civilization; he must find the control point as soon as possible.

Passing through a series of twisted corridors and rooms, they finally arrived at the open space in the center of the ruins.

This seemed to have once been some kind of hall or sacrificial place, now reduced to ruins.

But the altar in the center remained intact, surrounded by several half-collapsed stone pillars.

Above the altar was the glowing tower; it seemed one must pass through the altar first to enter the tower.

"We've arrived, but..." Luo En looked around vigilantly:

"It's too quiet here; something is wrong."

Just as his voice fell, the air around the altar suddenly twisted, rippling like the surface of water.

Several blurred figures emerged from the air, gradually solidifying into shape.

They were five humanoid creatures wearing damaged armor, their skin presenting a gray-white color, covered with black patterns, their eyes hollow and lifeless, radiating a deep blue light.

Their movements were uniform, like puppets controlled by the same consciousness; they slowly drew their waist weapons, circled around, and trapped Luo En and Daier in the center.

"Shadow Nightmare Hunters..." Luo En immediately recognized this creature:

"Warriors who died on the ancient battlefield, their souls twisted by the power of the abyss, becoming semi-solid existences."

Daier approached Luo En nervously, her hands already beginning to gather water elements, preparing for battle.

"Master, they seem to be waiting for something."

Indeed, the five Shadow Nightmare Hunters did not attack immediately, but maintained a vigilant posture, as if waiting for some kind of signal.

Luo En took a tentative step forward; the five Shadow Nightmare Hunters reacted immediately, their weapons pointing at him simultaneously, but still did not launch an attack.

"They are guarding the altar," he quickly understood the situation:

"Must solve them first to approach the control point."

He quickly assessed the situation.

The characteristics of Shadow Nightmare Hunters are fast speed and high attack coordination, but their degree of solidification is relatively low, and they have a certain resistance to physical attacks.

Conventional weapons have limited effects on them, but spell attacks can effectively restrain them.

"Daier, we need to cooperate," Luo En said in a low voice:

"You prepare the Water Prison Spell, and I will attract their attention."

The little siren nodded, quietly retreated a few steps, and her hands began to make complex gestures; water elements gathered slowly around her.

Luo En injected mental power into his long sword, making its surface covered with a thin layer of light flame; this was the result of his combination of "Ring of Radiance" and sword technique.

"Come on!"

He suddenly erupted, rushing toward the nearest Shadow Nightmare Hunter at an astonishing speed.

The five Shadow Nightmare Hunters acted immediately; their movements were as fast as lightning, launching an attack on Luo En almost at the same time.

Luo En's sword technique had reached the mastery level; facing the siege of five enemies, he was still able to deal with it with ease.

Every one of his sword strikes was precise.

Wherever the light-flame sword blade passed, a faint crack would appear on the body of the Shadow Nightmare Hunter, emitting a painful hiss.

"Now, Daier!"

Luo En suddenly stepped back, creating space for the little siren's spell.

—Water Prison Spell!

Daier's hands closed violently, and the water elements gathered around instantly condensed into shape, forming a huge water ball, gathering all five Shadow Nightmare Hunters together.

Those semi-solid warriors struggled in the water, but their movements became unusually slow, as if they had fallen into a quagmire.

"Sonic Vibration Erosion State!"

Luo En seized this opportunity to release his strongest spell attack again.

The invisible ripple passed through the water ball, acting directly on the main body of the Shadow Nightmare Hunters.

The effect was immediate—the five Shadow Nightmare Hunters let out shrill screams simultaneously.

Their bodies began to twist violently, as if torn by some invisible force.

Black patterns spread rapidly, covering their entire bodies.

Then, these patterns began to collapse, turning into countless black particles, drifting in the water.

"Success!" Daier looked happily at those enemies gradually disintegrating in the water ball.

However, at this moment, those black particles suddenly began to gather, forming a vortex-like black cloud.

The vortex spun faster and faster, eventually condensing into a brand-new form.

A translucent giant humanoid, pitch black all over, with only its eyes and chest radiating deep blue light.

"Fusion...?" Luo En looked at this scene in surprise: "Shadow Nightmare Hunters can actually fuse into a more powerful existence."

This newborn monster waved its hand, and Daier's Water Prison Spell was easily shattered like paper, turning into water splashes and splashing everywhere.

"Master, be careful!"

Daier had just shouted, and the black giant had already teleported in front of Luo En.

It punched out, its speed so fast that the movement was almost invisible.

Luo En did not panic and raise his sword to block.

The flowing protective wall around his body began to act, providing him with a special defensive form against blunt strikes.

The giant fist carrying a heavy whistling sound slammed over, but only caused the fluid protection to sink in.

Luo En staggered backward in the protective wall, his face looking a bit ugly.

He wiped his waist, and a black shadow had already expanded and grown rapidly, rushing straight toward the giant's face...

………………

Meanwhile, in another area of the Bloodline Altar, a group of young people wearing special robes were gathering together.

Their robes were completely different from those of the Black Mist School apprentices—although the whole body still presented a gray color, the collars and cuffs were adorned with silver patterns that shone like crystals.

On the back was embroidered a pattern of a crystal tower, clearly indicating their identity—elite apprentices of the Crystal Spire.

"Is everyone here?"

A young man standing in the center of the crowd asked, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.

His most obvious feature was a pair of unusually large ears, almost twice the size of an ordinary person's, and the shape was also sharper, looking like two small fans from a distance.

This was the leader of the Crystal Spire apprentice squad—Elliott Oswalt, a genius apprentice known by his companions as the "Wind Listener."

"All here, Elliott."

A female apprentice with light gray hair answered; her eyes presented an unnatural purple color, and her hands were wrapped in dense silver runes:

"Jacqueline also just arrived in this area through the link."

Elliott nodded; this female apprentice also possessed a special talent and was the deputy leader of the squad.

Just at this moment, his pair of large ears suddenly twitched slightly, as if capturing some faint sound.

Everyone held their breath, knowing that Elliott was using his special talent—"Listening Wind."

This is an extremely rare special talent, which can be called powerful even in the second tier.

Those who possess this talent can perceive energy fluctuations in the surrounding environment through their ears and convert them into information.

Simply put, his ears can "hear" information that ordinary people cannot perceive.

Including energy flow, spatial fluctuations, and even some conceptual existences.

A moment later, Elliott opened his eyes, a solemn expression appearing on his face.

"The situation is more complex than we anticipated," he looked around, his voice lowered:

"I have already 'heard' some information about this altar trial."

The Crystal Spire apprentices immediately gathered around, and everyone's expression became serious.

"First, this space is indeed deeply infected by the abyss, but it seems that the intensity of the curse has been limited by some force, so we can withstand it."

Elliott explained, his pair of large ears still twitching slightly, as if receiving information continuously.

"Secondly, I 'heard' a very important piece of information—the altar uses us trial-takers as a blueprint to generate clones with significantly enhanced bloodline characteristics."

"Clones?" a sturdy male apprentice asked in surprise.

"Yes, Caesar," Elliott affirmed:

"Everyone participating in the trial has a corresponding clone in the central area of the altar.

Killing your own clone can significantly enhance your own bloodline; while killing others' clones can obtain partial elemental affinity and some ability enhancements."

This news caused a burst of whispers, and a flash of excitement and vigilance appeared in everyone's eyes.

"Then what about these abyssal mutants on the periphery?" Jacqueline asked: "What is their value?"

Elliott shook his head:

"Almost none. The tissues in their bodies can be extracted as experimental materials, but they are difficult to process and consume more of our energy and resources. The real value lies in the clones at the center of the altar."

He stood up straight, his tone becoming firmer:

"So, our strategy is very clear—pass through these peripheral areas as quickly as possible, head to the center of the altar, kill our corresponding clones to obtain bloodline enhancement. Then..."

He paused for a moment, a flash of cold light in his eyes:

"If there is an opportunity, we can also kill the clones of the Black Mist School apprentices. Those clones can also provide us with enhancement, and by then..."

"Each according to their ability," Caesar grinned, revealing an ill-intentioned expression.

Elliott did not respond directly, but his acquiescence was clear enough.

"Now, we need to move forward. According to the energy fluctuations, the nearest portal is in that direction."

He pointed to a hill covered with purple-black vines in the distance.

Just as the Crystal Spire squad was preparing to set off, the surrounding environment suddenly changed.

The ground began to wriggle, rising like a living thing, forming waves of undulations;

The clouds in the sky became thicker, presenting a disturbing spiral shape;

A pungent sulfur smell permeated the air, as if something was burning.

"They are coming," Elliott said calmly; his pair of ears had already captured the movement of the enemy.

As soon as the words fell, the surrounding ground burst open, and dozens of abyssal creatures surged out from the cracks.

These creatures were of various forms, but all carried obvious abyssal characteristics.

Some looked like twisted humanoids, but with too many limbs;

Some looked like a mixture of insects and reptiles;

And some had no fixed form at all, just a mass of constantly changing fleshy objects.

"Prepare for battle!" Elliott ordered, while pulling out a staff made of crystal from the inside of his robe.

—First-Ring Atmospheric Cutting

With his movement, the staff lit up with a light green glow.

The surrounding air twisted suddenly, forming an invisible wind blade, instantly cutting the nearest three abyssal creatures in half.

Other Crystal Spire apprentices also acted immediately, demonstrating combat capabilities far exceeding ordinary high-level apprentices.

Jacqueline's hands danced, and electric light darted between her ten fingers.

Quickly forming a huge electric net, she enveloped a group of abyssal crawlers trying to approach, turning them into charred remains.

Caesar demonstrated astonishing physical strength.

His arms swelled by a factor of two in an instant, covered with a layer of red scales, and one punch could send a huge abyssal mutant flying several meters.

Another small and thin male apprentice—Noren, demonstrated precise elemental control ability.

Thin ice-blue lines extended from his fingertips, coiling around the enemy like flexible snakes, then tightening rapidly, freezing and cutting the opponent into fragments.

The most astonishing was a seemingly weak female apprentice—Lina.

Her eyes were closed, but dozens of miniature light orbs appeared around her.

Each one shot precisely at different enemies, piercing through their bodies and leaving holes emitting white smoke.

"Coordinated formation!"

Elliott shouted, and everyone immediately moved according to the predetermined positions, forming a perfect circular defensive formation.

This formation allowed everyone to maximize their advantages while compensating for each other's weaknesses, demonstrating extremely high combat efficiency.

Although there were many abyssal creatures, under the orderly attacks of the Crystal Spire elite squad, they were quickly cleared away without causing any casualties.

"Team collaboration ability—perfect."

Elliott evaluated, looking at the battlefield with satisfaction: "It seems the training didn't go to waste."

"Those guys from the Black Mist School definitely don't have this kind of tacit understanding, nor do they have the mental link brought to us by Lina's talent."

Caesar sneered: "I bet they are fighting on their own right now, in a sorry state."

"Don't underestimate any opponent."

Elliott warned:

"Especially that potionist named Luo En; it is said that he possesses the special talent of 'Medicine Body Resonance,' and his speed of progress is astonishing."

Jacqueline was thoughtful: "I heard he was a half-muggle with an initial mental power of only six-star level..."

"He is already a high-level apprentice now, and also one of the top existences in the candidate wizard sequence," Elliott reminded everyone:

"This speed of progress is by no means ordinary."

"I am actually looking forward to seeing his clone."

Caesar grinned: "What kind of decent combat power can a guy from a potionist background have..."

(End of chapter)