"Fuck me..."
Ye Gou's jaw nearly hit the floor; he could scarcely believe his eyes.
Is this even human? Or is it Superman?
It's no wonder Ye Gou had such thoughts, for the power of an S-rank entity defies all common sense—it's like an object being transcended, completely detached from its original form.
The Flame Titan crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom.
As he gazed at the battered Flame Titan, Xu Que's lips curled into a cruel smile.
With a black longsword in hand, he strode toward the Titan's nearly lifeless neck.
The sharp, ringing sound of a sword echoed briefly, followed by a pale blue sword light swiftly slicing through the Titan's throat.
"Splurt!"
Searing blood sprayed in all directions. Ye Gou, who had been sitting on the ground, hurriedly sprang to his feet and rushed toward Xu Que.
"Big... Bro, what was that sword sound just now? And, wasn't your sword light white before? Why did it turn pale blue?"
"My Blade of Heaven and Sword Draw have both been mastered to perfection, of course, there's a qualitative change," Xu Que explained.
Hearing this, Ye Gou let out an astonished, "What the hell?!"
Compared to his own rudimentary skills, Ye Gou felt that Xu Que's power could no longer be described as simply 'strong.'
"Alright, finish collecting the items and let's go. We don't have much time left," Xu Que glanced at the timer and said.
"Got it!"
...
Half an hour later, Xu Que and Ye Gou arrived at the entrance of a cavern.
The exterior of the cavern resembled that of the Hellhound's lair, but the inside was different.
"It's really cool in here," Ye Gou said, relaxing.
"Is it?" Xu Que shot him a sidelong glance, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. "Wait until later, it'll get even cooler."
Ye Gou completely missed the implication in Xu Que's words. Rubbing his hands together with excitement, he said, "Sounds perfect! I love this chilly feeling."
Xu Que's lips twitched slightly. He couldn't help but wonder what went on in Ye Gou's head...
Just as they bantered, the dimly lit corridor above them suddenly flickered, and a wave of icy cold air rushed toward them.
"Whoa, does it really have to be this precise? I was just about to..."
Before Ye Gou could finish his sentence, Xu Que covered his mouth.
A faint, eerie laughter echoed from the depths of the dark passage.
The laughter sounded distant, but with each passing moment, it brought a chill that gnawed at them.
Xu Que and Ye Gou squinted their eyes, staring intently into the blackness of the passage.
A shadowy figure, entirely dark, stood at the end of the passage. It looked human, yet not entirely—its long ears resembled those of a dark elf!
As the faint laughter drew nearer, the figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
The creature's forehead bore a pair of pitch-black horns resembling those of a bull, while long, sharp spines jutted from its shoulders and wrists.
It had a pair of translucent, black bone wings fluttering behind it, and from its mouth came the eerie laughter.
"What the hell is that?!"
Ye Gou looked at the creature warily. Truth be told, it felt profoundly unsettling.
"The illusion of the Frost Nightmare," Xu Que stated, his voice cold and measured.
"Huh? The illusion of the Frost Nightmare?" Ye Gou blinked in confusion. "What exactly is this monster? And if it's an illusion, then where is the real one?"
"This creature is a hybrid of elves and demons. As for the real body, it's not here at all," Xu Que replied, his tone filled with caution.
Ye Gou was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't understand—if there was no real body here, then how was the creature standing before them?
"Be careful!"
Just as Ye Gou pondered this, the Frost Nightmare illusion suddenly lunged toward them.
Xu Que quickly shoved Ye Gou down and leaped upward, avoiding the creature's assault.
As the Frost Nightmare passed by, Ye Gou was left trembling from the intense cold.
"Let's go!"
Xu Que eyed the illusion's turning form and yanked Ye Gou toward the end of the passage.
With the unsettling laughter echoing once more, Xu Que grabbed Ye Gou and, with a single leap, dodged the creature's next attack.
"What is wrong with this thing?" Ye Gou exclaimed.
Xu Que didn't answer; his focus remained locked on the Frost Nightmare.
As the creature prepared to charge again, Xu Que curled his legs and dropped down, dragging Ye Gou with him.
The Frost Nightmare swept overhead, and Xu Que seized the opportunity, hauling Ye Gou forward as they raced toward the end of the passage.
Just as they entered, the eerie laughter disappeared.
"It's already here?" Ye Gou asked.
"Mm," Xu Que responded, then began descending the spiral stairs.
When they reached the lower level, both were stunned by the vastness of the hall.
Before Ye Gou could speak, eight bizarre statues appeared before them.
Each statue wielded different weapons, but the one common feature they shared was the various strange symbols etched on their left arms.
"Boss, what are these monsters?" Ye Gou asked cautiously.
"Ultimate Boss—The Eight Frost Abyss Demon Statues," Xu Que unsheathed his black longsword, preparing for battle.
Ye Gou blinked, dumbstruck.
"Isn't the ultimate boss just one? Why are there eight?"
Before he could process the situation, the statues sprang to life.
Xu Que barely had time to be shocked before he kicked Ye Gou aside and charged forward.
"You hold off the one with the warhammer, I'll deal with the rest!"
As Xu Que spoke, the smiling statue launched a rapid assault.
Its colossal fists moved with blinding speed, crashing toward Xu Que.
Sensing the abnormal velocity, Xu Que didn't even attempt to dodge. With his battlefield experience, his brain immediately made the best decision.
Xu Que raised his arms in defense, though it wasn't the optimal choice.
"Bang!"
Though the force wasn't overwhelming, it still pushed him back a step.
Before he could recover, a crying statue appeared right in front of him, its gleaming sword aimed at his chest.
Xu Que swung his sword to parry.
"Clang!"
As Xu Que staggered back, two more statues—one angry, the other mocking—charged at him with long sword and spear.
Xu Que dodged swiftly, parrying their attacks with his longsword.
Sparks flew as their blades collided, and the angry statue's sword snapped in two.
As Xu Que dodged the spear, he was about to counterattack when a silent statue appeared behind him.
"Backslash!"
Xu Que's sword, which had been poised for a downward strike, swerved into a crescent arc, blocking the sudden dagger strike.
He rolled and quickly distanced himself from the statues.
"Boss, help me!" Ye Gou yelled, dodging two statues.
"Where's your weapon?" Xu Que shouted.
"It broke when I was fighting the gorilla!" Ye Gou yelled back.
Xu Que's mind clicked—no wonder Ye Gou had been overwhelmed by the Flame Titan earlier; he was unarmed.
"Run ahead. I'll...
Before Xu Que could finish his sentence, the mournful statue with a battle axe appeared before him.
"Swish!"
The battle axe sliced through the air, missing Xu Que by mere inches, inciting his fury.
"Die!"
With the sound of his sword ringing, the strange, smiling statue, seemingly sensing something, quickly shielded the mournful statue.
A pale blue sword light shot forth.
"Boom!"
The sword light exploded against the shield, and Xu Que cursed under his breath as his energy surged.
Before he could retaliate, the silent statue reappeared behind him, dagger in hand.
"Swish!"
The cold dagger shot toward Xu Que's back like a lethal fang.