Chapter 402: The Perilous Descent
The entrance to the black dragon's nest was cunningly concealed within the depths of a hidden valley, its enigmatic gateway to another realm buried hundreds of meters below the surface.
William surveyed his companions with apprehension, his gaze ultimately settling on the ominous subterranean abyss that lay before them. Venturing into such an expansive underground chasm filled with the unknown was a reckless endeavor, and the question of how many monstrous creatures lurked within remained unanswered. It was a perilous gamble.
"You're all a bunch of daredevils," William muttered under his breath, shaking his head. But as he considered their predicament, he realized that he had little choice. The alternative was to remain where they stood and wait for the relentless tide of abyssal creatures to overrun them.
Sister Xuejia seemed to decipher his thoughts, her voice cold as ice. "There are only two options now," she declared. "Either we stay here and await the relentless onslaught of abyssal creatures, or we venture forth, locate the gateway, and make our escape."
William silently acknowledged her resolve, silently applauding her decision. The temple had cost them dearly in blood and leather, but he had learned to detach himself from emotion and fear. His existence was devoid of sentiment; fear was an alien concept. He knew precisely what needed to be done.
The notion of the Blood Armor, with its 1-to–9 mortality rate, no longer surprised him. People changed, evolved, adapted in the face of adversity.
When Lanze, donned in the attire of a mage's pristine white robe, overheard the conversation, he eyed the Blood Armor contingent and cleared his throat. "It is indeed unwise for no one to scout ahead," he began, "but it would be equally imprudent for any of us to meet their demise in the final stretch. Allow me to take this task upon myself."
"Lanze, you're a mage. Are you sure you want to scout ahead? This duty is typically assigned to soldiers," Badlit remarked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Logically, scouting was best suited for the strong, not the weak – they were often perceived as cannon fodder.
In passing, he glanced at Burned Cinder and Diablo.
William remained expressionless, fully aware of Badlit's concealed anger at having his task pilfered, as well as his ulterior motives. The triumvirate of factions now boiled down to just two, with only three members of Dawn City remaining. It would be more expedient for them to eliminate one another.
However, the Son of the Blue Moon smiled charmingly, "There's no need. Leave it to me."
With a Spell incantation, a peculiar rune materialized within his palm.
Moonlight suddenly spilled forth, and the rune within his hand resembled a portal, an enigmatic gateway of sorts. Hundreds of miniature moonlight entities, mere centimeters in stature, spontaneously assembled in his palm.
They nimbly hopped onto the ground, some even somersaulting before swiftly regaining their balance and patting the dust off their forms in an almost sentient manner. They offered a bow to Lanze.
The group of diminutive entities chirped and transformed into luminous specks, vanishing into the dark cavern.
Curiosity piqued, Badlit Pointed towards the moonlight entities.
Lanze concealed nothing, allowing the visual of the entities' perspective to materialize into a blue-hued curtain before them all. Several hundred trembling curtains of light flickered into existence, providing a brighter view than the dark abyss beyond.
In the perspective of these entities, the darkness appeared less daunting and considerably brighter.
Ember and Diablo exchanged curious glances, observing the spectacle with the fascination of a child entering an amusement park.
The underground cavern, however, appeared much the same as before.
Yet, as their line of sight expanded, the Black Dragon's nest underwent a dramatic transformation.
The underground expanse seemed submerged in a murky bath of bubbling black liquid, obscuring the depths below. Only the palace remained perched on dry ground, seemingly untouched.
Remarkably, there were no signs of any abyssal creatures in sight.
Lanze furrowed his brow, and as his hands conjured runes, the moonlight entities ventured into the bath and palace.
Unfortunately, both the palace and the bath concealed hidden dangers. As the hundreds of moonlight entities infiltrated these spaces, their forms rapidly dissipated. Their dissolution occurred at varying rates, indicating varying levels of threat.
Lanze couldn't help but sigh with relief. "Follow me," he urged. "These Pathfinder youngsters have found a promising path. As long as we remain discreet and vigilant, we should avoid provoking the bath's subterranean denizens."
His companions nodded, understanding the importance of maintaining a low profile. Agitating the abyssal creatures would only invite their wrath, leaving them at a distinct disadvantage.
Together, they followed Lanze into the underground abyss, descending hundreds of meters beneath the surface. They chose to glide rather than walk, maintaining a low altitude and a slow pace to minimize any disturbances that might attract the attention of the lurking abyssal horrors.
Upon entering the colossal underground chamber, their expressions soured at the sight of the bubbling bath beneath them. Countless monsters lurked below, densely packed and seemingly in slumber.
But the situation rapidly changed.
With Lanze at the forefront, the others followed suit and soon covered half the distance.
If Lanze harbored any nefarious intent, he had chosen his moment wisely. Their entire group possessed hidden cards, and none were defenseless.
Yet, none of them noticed the malevolent transformation taking place within Lanze's magic-clad gloves. His crescent-shaped pupils, which should have radiated a soothing azure glow, inexplicably turned black and crimson.
At the back of the group, William, Burned Cinder, and Diablo remained vigilant. William extended his senses through soul induction, scanning for any potential threats.
It wasn't long before he perceived something unusual within Lanze's vicinity, a sensation shared by his companions.
However, it was too late.
The Son of the Blue Moon abruptly turned, his moonlight blade slashing through the air with swift precision. The head of the young man following behind him was propelled into the distance, his eyes reflecting shock and disbelief as he tumbled into the murky bath.
Lanze, now sporting dark, malevolent eyes, grinned wickedly. "Leaving so soon?"
In an instant, a multitude of colossal tentacles surged forth from the bath, their sinister intentions apparent. Terrified, the group ascended rapidly, the tentacles reaching for them as they streaked towards the palace.
But their attempts to escape were in vain.
The once-clear eyes of Blood Armor Six transformed into a menacing black hue. He clutched a blood-red longsword with unyielding determination, slashing at Blood Armor Three.
But fortune did not favor him.
Blood Armor Three reacted swiftly, deftly dodging in mid-air to avoid the incoming knife Battle Energy attack. He retaliated with a swift counterstrike, slashing back with the same knife.
His adversary was pushed into the murky bath by the force of the Dao Battle Energy, but instead of being attacked by the tentacled monsters, he let out a mocking laugh. "It's a pity that this body's strength is somewhat lacking. The inheritance treasure didn't go to you after all," he taunted.
Blood Armor Three glanced at the bloody long knife in his hand, the very treasure they had acquired from this perilous place. Meanwhile, Lanze had donned the distinctive blue gloves, another treasure left by the Blue Moon people.
However, the attention of Burned Cinder, Diablo, Delosis, and the others shifted to William.
Suddenly, his divine left hand crackled with lightning and thunder, while the space staff emitted a plume of ominous black smoke. Accompanied by a despairing scream, William disappeared completely, leaving nothing behind.
A profound silence fell over the group, and Prince Thunder God swallowed hard. He had sensed an immense and ominous threat just moments before.
However, before that threat could even reach his left hand, it transformed into smoke.
"Lanze" and "Blood Armor Six" witnessed this shocking development and were immediately consumed by rage. They charged towards William with unbridled fury, shouting, "Damn it, give back the Space God's son! It's like trying to teach a fool to perform such a simple attachment Spell. He's been awake for years!"
"Kill this Half-Elf and recover his space staff!" "Lanze" bellowed, his palm transforming into countless phantoms, blue runes blossoming in the air. These runes manifested as a multitude of Blue Moon magics, all aimed at William.
However, none among them chose to flee. They engaged in combat with the two possessed individuals and the tentacled monstrosity lurking beneath them.
Delosis immediately grasped the significance of the mention of "Space God." He understood that time was of the essence, and this was not the moment for explanations. He urgently declared, "We must capture Lanze and drive out the entities within him, or the Blue Moon people will perish, and we'll be trapped here forever."
Meanwhile, William found himself pursued and attacked by Lanze. He wasn't sure whether Lanze was possessed by the entity before him, but they were both intent on dealing him a fatal blow.
Prince Thunder God raised an eyebrow at Delosis's words and promptly volunteered, "Give me Lanze. I've had enough of this unsightly figure for too long. You deal with Blood Armor Six and those tentacles!"
"What do you intend to do…" Others had yet to comprehend William's intentions.
But then, they all witnessed Dawn Lord and Lanze vanishing simultaneously within that space.
Upon seeing this, the remaining group decided to besiege the possessed Blood Armor Six.
Blood Armor Six found himself in an increasingly precarious situation. While the tentacled monster did not attack him directly, it harbored no fondness for him either. If he attempted to enter the bath, the abyssal aura he had amassed over many years would eventually be exhausted, leading to his demise.
Their initial plan had involved successfully possessing the host's body, and escape had seemed feasible. Now, they found themselves surrounded and hunted by a group of exceptional individuals.
Blood Armor Six roared, "Presumptuous! I am…"
"Shua!" Blood Armor Three swiftly silenced him with a knife strike and sneered, "The old coot who vanished hundreds of years ago? The Temple of Godslayers had already crossed your name off its list. Dying now won't make much of a difference."
"Are you sure about this?" Burned Cinder asked eagerly.
"Absolutely sure."
"Then let's not waste any more time!"
"Duck!"
"Presumptuous! Ouch! Stop! Cease this fighting! I concede! I'll leave, alright?"
The group's attention returned to William.
Within their space, a battle unfolded within a 10000–meter radius, with only two participants.
As Master Lanze observed, he couldn't help but find the situation amusing. It seemed that William had underestimated the challenge of facing him alone within such a confined space.
However, William's use of the Space Staff began to shrink the space relentlessly, compressing it until the 10000–meter battlefield transformed into a narrow chamber.
In that moment, God's state of mind shifted.
"Lanze" wore a dark expression, attempting to break through the surrounding space. Yet, his efforts were in vain as he was repeatedly repelled by a magical barrier. He spoke in a deep voice, "You cannot save this man's body. I am also a Blue Moon person. I can help you open the Space God's gate and return to the gods together."
"Is that so?" William approached him, step by step. Lanze noticed that William was closing in and retreated continuously, opting to delay if possible. He understood that the confined space could only be maintained for a limited time.
However, Prince Thunder God continued to advance until he stretched out Thunder God's left hand, striking the space wall with a fist and nearly coming face to face with "Lanze." He grinned at him with a mischievous air, "Hand over your gloves, and I'll let you go. To be honest, I'm not particularly fond of Lanze!"
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? You can see that the Protoss, the Temple of Godslayers, and the Blue Moon people must have made their way here. I, on the other hand, am just a Half-Elf who sneaked in."
"Well…"
"Boo!" Thunder God's left hand erupted with blinding lightning, striking the space wall with a fist. William roared fiercely, "Hand them over quickly, or I'll kill you!"
"Pirated Lanze" reluctantly swallowed his pride, hesitated, and finally surrendered his gloves. Time was running out.
"Robe."
Lanze removed his robe.
"Shoes."
Lanze continued to undress, relinquishing his magical attire until he stood before William in nothing but his underwear, adorned with the emblem of the Blue Moon.
Arching an eyebrow, William glanced at the Blue Moon insignia on Lanze's underwear.
Lanze, however, surreptitiously observed William's eyes, which radiated a mixture of desire and greed.
Wait a minute.
Did he want my equipment or me?
Could you clarify, please?
Despite the temporary possession of the host's body, Lanze had no interest in pursuing further interactions.
"Don't you dare take those off!" William waved Thunder God's left hand, unleashing an intense surge of energy.
"Tuotuo…"
"That's right." The prince stored the Legendary suit in a spatial ring, leaving Lanze squatting in the corner, dressed only in his underwear and a faint, bluish glow. The once-formidable figure now appeared as a trembling, vulnerable individual.
However, the matter at hand was pressing, and no one paid it much mind. Whether he was a melee mage or not, he remained a mage at heart.
The so-called "cowhide melee mage" was currently confined to a corner, surrounded by soldiers and subjected to relentless verbal taunts.
"Turn around and bend over."
"Are you kidding me? This is outrageous…"
"Bang!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Stop fighting, cease!"
"Do you have to hit me like this…"
"Can I turn around and bend over now?"
"It's too late. I've lost interest. Here comes a Soul Shockwave."