The moment everyone stepped into the temple, they felt a strong sense of dizziness. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a huge maze. The towering stone walls were covered with vines, and a strange mist filled the air.
"What's going on?" Maya asked in surprise, "Weren't we in the temple just now?"
Ebert looked around, frowning, "It seems like this is the final test. We must remain vigilant, everything here may be an illusion."
"We need to find a way to distinguish reality from illusion," Brigou mused. "Perhaps we can use logical reasoning to determine the authenticity of our surroundings."
At this moment, a deep laughter came from the mist. Everyone looked warily towards the direction from which the sound came, and saw a tall figure walking slowly. When the figure approached, everyone gasped.
"Agni?" Lakshman couldn't believe his eyes, "You...haven't you already..."
"Dead?" Agni showed a strange smile, "Maybe I never really left."
Ebert subconsciously wanted to step forward, but was held back by Saraswati. "Careful," she whispered, "this is probably an illusion."
Brigu observed "Agni" carefully and suddenly pointed out: "Wait a minute, everyone, pay attention to his shadow."
Everyone followed Brigu's instructions and were surprised to find that the shadow of "Agni" was not completely synchronized with his movements.
"This is indeed an illusion," Brigu said with certainty. "In the real world, the shadow should be completely synchronized with the main body."
After hearing Brigu's analysis, the image of "Agni" began to distort, and finally turned into a black mist and dissipated in the air.
"Well done, Brigu!" Akash praised, "It seems we must use logical thinking to deal with this test."
The team continued to advance through the maze, encountering various illusions from time to time. Sometimes it's a deceased loved one, sometimes it's a deep-seated fear. Each time, Brigou was able to see through these illusions through careful observation and logical analysis.
However, as you go deeper into the maze, the illusions become more and more real and increasingly difficult to discern. Suddenly, Ebert and Saraswati found themselves lost in contact with the others and trapped in a corner of the maze.
"What's going on?" Abbott looked around in panic, "Where are the others?"
Saraswati shook her head, "I don't know, maybe this is another illusion."
At this moment, the surrounding scene began to distort and change. The maze disappeared and was replaced by a beautiful garden. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant. Ebert and Saraswati found themselves dressed in gorgeous clothes, as if they were the perfect couple.
"What...what's going on?" Saraswati asked confused.
Ebert also felt very uneasy, "I don't know, but we have to stay awake. This is probably another hallucination."
However, as time passed, the two gradually became immersed in this beautiful illusion. They walked in the garden, talked, and became a pair of deep lovers.
Just when Ebert was about to kiss Saraswati, a piercing scream broke this beautiful illusion. The two woke up suddenly and found themselves back in the maze.
"Just...what was that?" Ebert asked breathlessly, with a hint of blush on his face.
Saraswati also looked a little flustered, "I...I don't know. But we have to focus and find other people."
As Ebote and Saraswati descended into the maze of crypts, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence, Ebote's eyes caught a glimmer of light. In the distance, among the shadows clinging to the ancient walls, a massive statue emerged from the darkness. Its human form, after countless years of ups and downs, seemed to stare at them with an ageless wisdom.
Drawn by an unexplainable force, Ebert approached the statue, his heart pounding with curiosity and uneasiness. As he approached, he noticed a faint glow emanating from between the statue's giant fingers. The light, like a tiny star trapped in stone, shone with an otherworldly intensity.
Fascinated by the spectacle, Ebert reached out his hand and lightly touched the statue's cold, weathered surface with his fingertips. At that moment, a wave of energy passed through his body, and the light between the statue's fingers burst out instantly. He suddenly felt a strange touch on his fingers. He looked down and found that there was an extra ring on his ring finger.
Ebert has never seen such a ring before. This ring exudes a strange green light, with red spots flashing on the surface from time to time. It looks very mysterious. Ebert had never seen such a ring before, and he was filled with doubts.
He tried to take the ring off, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. He looked carefully at the ring and found some strange symbols engraved on the inside of the ring that he didn't recognize at all.
Could this ring fly? Ebert guessed in his mind. He could not believe that this ring could appear on his finger out of thin air, as if it had some magical power.
Or maybe this maze has been abandoned for a long time and there are few people there. This ring is like a locust sucking human blood, actively attached to his body? The ancient palace echoed with the footsteps of him and Saraswati, and there was a strange atmosphere in the silence.
Ebert's heart was filled with curiosity and fear. He stretched out his fingers and touched the ring gently, and his fingertips traced those strange symbols. Symbols seem to dance before your eyes, their meanings as elusive as the origins of the rings.
"This is..." Abbott was about to take a closer look when he suddenly felt a strong threat.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows. It was a being who looked like a ghost king. It exudes powerful soul energy, as if it wants to swallow everything.
"Human, how dare you break into my domain!" the Ghost King roared, "I will devour your soul!" Four layers of bright purple halo surrounded the Ghost King, each layer proving his powerful power. Grandmaster Level 4... Oh my god! This is simply not something that Ebert can resist.
At the moment when the Ghost King was about to attack Ebote, a strange energy suddenly burst out from Ebote's body. It was the black gravity jade pendant he got from the female mage Lilith, and it was exuding powerful power at the moment.
As the light of the jade pendant enveloped the Ghost King, a shrill scream pierced the night sky, breaking the tranquility of the cave. The Ghost King twisted in pain, his huge body twisted mercilessly under the power of the jade pendant, and his soul energy was ruthlessly torn apart.
Ebert watched in awe as the Ghost King's soul energy, which was once a source of great terror, was now absorbed into the vortex of light emanating from the jade pendant. The Ghost King's screams became weaker and weaker, and so did his resistance.
Finally, in the last desperate resistance, the ghost king's scream disappeared and was replaced by an eerie silence. His once powerful body began to disintegrate, disintegrating into ghostly energy, spiraling towards the jade pendant.
The energy was absorbed into the vortex of the jade pendant, and with the last flash of light, the Ghost King disappeared. Instead, a stream of emerald energy flowed towards Ebert's outstretched hand, falling gently on the ring on his finger.
Ebert stared at the ring in disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened. He experienced countless dangers during his journey, but never encountered such a powerful enemy. However, with the help of the jade pendant, he defeats the Ghost King and his soul energy is absorbed into the ring that guides him into this dangerous encounter.
"What...what's going on?" Abbott murmured, his voice almost a whisper.
Saraswati's eyes widened in surprise, "Ebert, you...you actually conquered a ghost king!"
Ebert could only shake his head in disbelief. He had always known the ring had some power, but he never imagined it could have such power. The jade pendant also showed strength beyond his expectations.
At this moment, a small figure appeared on the ring. It was a fat-looking boy, whose whole body was alternating between turquoise and transparent red.
"Master," the Ghost King said in a high-pitched voice, "I am the Ghost King, and I will serve you loyally from now on. And I need you to provide one drop of blood every day, just one drop, to maintain my strength."
"
Ebote and Saraswati looked at each other, both shocked by this sudden turn of events.
"Why do you want my blood?" he asked almost in a whisper.
The Ghost King let out a high-pitched, deep laugh that echoed like thunder. "Blood is the essence of life, Master," he explained. "It is the source of my magical power. Without it, my power is diminished and useless to you."
"Okay," he said firmly, despite his misgivings, "I'll give you my blood."
But let me ask you first, why do you want to surrender to me?
Enma explained, his voice filled with regret. "I was once a ghost king, the Balrog as I was also called, a creature of great power, revered and respected throughout the land. But in my arrogance, I deviated from the path, and my heart changed. Get darkness. Kill innocent lives and absorb their soul energy for your own power."
Ebert listened with horrified fascination as the Balrog told the story of his descent into darkness. "But," Balrog continued, with a hint of hope in his voice, "I met a young wizard, the master of the black gravity in you, a man of great power and unwavering virtue. He saw me Dark inside, but also seeing my potential for good, he brought me back from the brink of destruction through his kindness and compassion."
"As my gratitude, Enma concluded, I swore a blood oath with my soul to be forever loyal to him and his descendants, the masters of the Black Gravity Jade Chamber. This lasted for a hundred thousand years, and I was sealed in This emerald magic ruby ring is now sixty thousand years old."
Only then did Abbott suddenly realize that this was the case.
The Ghost King's voice was slightly satisfied. He said in a low voice, "In order to complete the blood contract ceremony, I must prick your finger and taste your blood."
Ebert stretched out his finger and his eyes met the ghost king's sparkling red eyes. The Ghost King leaned forward, exposed his fangs, and bit Ebert's fingertips. A sharp pain shot through Ebert's body, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.
The Ghost King savored the taste of Ebert's blood, with a satisfied smile on his grotesque face. "The contract is complete, Master," he announced. "From now on, you can summon me by saying just one word: 'Show me.' Or, if you wish, you can contact me with your mind and I will show up for you. At your service..."
"Ebot," Saraswati whispered, "this could be a powerful weapon. I suggest you don't tell anyone else for now, to avoid unnecessary disputes."
Ebert nodded, "You're right. Let's focus on completing this test first." Then let Balrog return to the ring first.
At this moment, the shouts of other teammates came from the distance. Ebote and Saraswati looked at each other, decided to keep this secret in their hearts for the time being, and then ran in the direction of the sound.