Han Xing searched through the corpses of the dark elves one by one.
[You've obtained damaged wooden plate armor (White)*1, a wooden hammer (White)*1, a spirit core*1, and Fallen Blood*1...]
[You've obtained a damaged wooden staff, a spirit core, a wooden bow, and Fallen Blood*1...]
These dark elves didn't have much good loot, apart from some basic white gear, a few spirit cores, and a strange drop of blood.
"Fallen Blood? What is this?"
Han Xing was puzzled as he looked at the dark greenish-blue blood now in his inventory.
Since there were no annotations on the materials, he decided to set it aside for now.
Han Xing continued looting, and when he reached the last dark elf, the one whose head he had pierced with an arrow, something caught his eye.
Inside the waist pouch of this dark elf, he found a book.
[Skill Book: Fireball.]
"A mage's skill book!"
Han Xing was instantly excited.
In many games on Earth, mages were a classic class that lured countless players into the game, dreaming of controlling fire and lightning, calling the wind and rain.
But soon, they would find that the reality was far from their expectations.
In the early stages, human survivors had no offensive abilities aside from a basic air burst skill. It wasn't until they learned their first skill that they could perform simple elemental attacks, drastically increasing their damage output.
So, Fireball and Ice Arrow were essential skills that mages desperately needed in the early game.
This Fireball skill book, if placed in the trade channel, would definitely cause a frenzy among mages.
However, the skill book was just a pleasant surprise.
Han Xing's primary objective was to find a potential water source in this dark elf territory.
Looking closer, in the center of the 5x6 meter platform, there was indeed a pool about the size of a table.
By rough estimate, it spanned at least four square meters.
Although the depth was less than forty centimeters, a quick calculation showed that it contained at least 1,500 liters of water!
Not milliliters, liters!
Han Xing felt his breath quicken.
"This is huge... I've struck gold..."
How long would this much water last him?
And if he put it on the trading channel, how many resources could he get in return?
Han Xing could hardly imagine!
However, after his initial excitement, Han Xing sensed something strange about this pool.
Bubbles gurgled up from the surface, occasionally accompanied by wisps of black smoke.
Suddenly, Han Xing recalled the system notification from before entering the area.
It seemed the dark elves had been summoning something.
Could this pool be their summoning medium?
A closer look confirmed his suspicion as the system prompt appeared.
[This spirit spring water has been polluted by dark energy and is no longer drinkable.]
Han Xing's excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
Yet, his disappointment didn't last long because thick black mist began to rise from the pool before his eyes.
"Something's wrong!" Han Xing immediately took several steps back.
The second system notification followed right after.
[The dark elves' evil ritual is nearing its conclusion. A powerful being from the Abyss has been summoned. Human survivor, you now face two choices.]
[1: Continue the ritual by adding 'Fallen Blood' and complete the summoning.]
[2: Add a spirit core to purify the dark energy from the spirit spring.]
[Please make your choice quickly.]
"Summoning ritual or purification?" Han Xing frowned.
Having played *Floating Island Paradise* for a while, he quickly realized that he had likely triggered a side quest.
And just from the description, this side quest seemed extremely significant.
Han Xing understood that his next decision could determine the direction of the quest.
"The Abyss... a powerful being." Han Xing pondered the system prompt.
Meanwhile, the black smoke from the pool was growing denser and spreading rapidly.
Han Xing had no idea what kind of being would be summoned if he chose the first option.
But for safety's sake, he quickly made his decision.
"I choose option 2: Purify!"
[...]
[...]
[...]
The system responded with a series of ellipses.
A bad feeling crept into Han Xing's heart. This was something he had never encountered before.
"System, what's wrong... Say something... You're scaring me!" Han Xing shouted, his voice trembling.
At that moment, he noticed the corpses of the dark elves had vanished, consumed by the black mist.
The next system prompt dropped Han Xing's heart into the abyss.
[The summoning ritual has been completed. The demon lord Julius is about to descend...]
"What!?" Han Xing's face was full of disbelief.
At the same time, a dreadful whispering began to echo in his ears.
Hatred, anger, fear, resentment...
An overwhelming wave of negative emotions surged into Han Xing's mind.
His head felt like it was about to explode, his vision darkened, and he saw countless vengeful spirits crying out in agony.
Ripped space,
Heart-piercing wails,
His mental defenses shattered in an instant.
"Damn..."
Han Xing clutched his head, struggling to stay conscious.
"I have to get out of here…"
"Otherwise, I'm dead…"
With a deep breath, he summoned the last bit of his willpower and controlled his territory to retreat from the area.
But when he glanced back, despair filled his heart.
From the pool of bubbling black water, a giant white bone horn was slowly emerging.
Even though only the tip of the horn had surfaced, Han Xing felt as though his breath was being suffocated.
The powerful aura spread outward.
At this moment, the sky for hundreds of kilometers seemed to darken, and the evil energy dyed the clouds black.
In the face of such a terrifying force, Han Xing felt utterly insignificant.
Then, he heard a maniacal laugh.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
"After 3,500 years, at last, the great demon lord is about to emerge from that damned Abyss!"
"Elves, cry, weep! I will make you experience the terror and pain of the past once again! Hahaha!"
Rumble!
Han Xing's territory shook beneath him as though something massive was about to break through the earth.
By now, the terrifying being had fully revealed one massive horn.
The horn stretched nearly twenty meters in length and was about two meters thick. Just from this, Han Xing could imagine the creature's enormous size.
The terrifying being continued its maniacal laughter as the dark energy thickened.
The shadow of death loomed over everything!
At this moment, only two words came to Han Xing's mind.
It's over...