Chapter 91: Super SSS-rank Quest Evaluation! Skyrocketing Strength!
News about the dungeon changes quickly reached Jiang Yuan's ears.
"Dongque Counterattack · Dark Bone Demon Emperor's Ambition!"
"This is actually a bit interesting!"
"One side represents the Human Race gathering its strength again, launching a counterattack against the Demon Race, and completely shattering the conspiracy of the Abyssal Demon Race!"
"On the other side, it represents the undying determination of the Dark Bone Demon Emperor to invade the real world!"
Jiang Yuan pondered.
His gaze looked towards the direction of Rift Abyss Valley,
The light black mist that had shrouded the sky above Rift Abyss Valley year-round surged several times over in just a few breaths, condensing into a dark canopy that blotted out the sky and sun.
A tall, magnificent, and inviolable majestic figure could be vaguely seen.
In the rift of Rift Abyss Valley within the dungeon world, the gaze of the Abyss Demon Emperor slowly swept across Dongque City.
Within those eyes that looked down on everything, an extremely faint ripple finally flashed, as if confirming something.
He did not immediately launch an attack, but quietly stood tall upon the blood-colored earth. The terrifying Magical Energy around him, however, continuously poured into the dungeon world like a tidal wave, eroding the spatial barrier that was already on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, in the spatial rift of Rift Abyss Valley in reality, dark Magical Energy was still crazily gushing out. That beam of demonic light shooting towards the dungeon acted like a bridge, thoroughly connecting the dark energy of reality and the dungeon.
The barriers of the two worlds were being continuously weakened, and the spatial turbulence at the edge of the rift became increasingly violent. An abyss catastrophe spanning reality and the dungeon had already begun its prelude.
"That is the Dark Bone Demon Emperor?"
Regarding this, Jiang Yuan did not act rashly.
Although he could kill the Tier 7 Level 210 Bone-Corroding Demon Lord, compared to the Dark Bone Demon Emperor, there was a gap of a full two major tiers!
Above the Demon Lord was the Tier 8 Demon Emperor.
Above the Demon Emperor was the Demon Emperor-grade expert!
Furthermore, the Dark Bone Demon Emperor was no ordinary Demon Emperor.
Rather, he was one of the thirty-six most powerful Demon Emperors under the Abyssal Demon God.
His strength was a top-tier existence among the many Demon Emperors.
It could be said that the Bone-Corroding Demon Lordrepresented the Peak or even limit of Tier 7 combat power.
Meanwhile, the Dark Bone Demon Emperor likewise represented the limit of Tier 9.
Otherwise, three hundred years ago, Dongque City, as a city with a population of over one hundred million and countless High-Tier Experts, wouldn't have fallen because of this.
It was precisely because the High-Tier Experts at that time all headed to Rift Abyss Valley to stop the Dark Bone Demon Emperor, and in the end, most of the experts died.
Even when the Federation gathered numerous experts to come support, in the end they only repelled the Dark Bone Demon Emperor without achieving a kill!
One can imagine just how terrifying the Dark Bone Demon Emperor truly was.
Even if this was only a thought Avatar of the Dark Bone Demon Emperor at this moment, it was not so easily dealt with.
Not to mention, the dungeon's rank limit had risen to Level 240!
That meant that the strength of this thought Avatar of the Dark Bone Demon Emperor was at least Level 240, equivalent to a top-tier Demon Emperor existence.
Even to a certain extent, it was more terrifying than a Demon Emperor.
Because the level of power it controlled was more Advanced, and its methods were more powerful!
"I understand far too little about the Dark Bone Demon Emperor!"
"I must absolutely not act rashly!"
"Since it's a counterattack, there should be experts coming to support, right?"
Jiang Yuan said thoughtfully.
He neither went to Rift Abyss Valley to investigate nor left the dungeon.
This kind of dungeon mutation situation was the first time he had encountered it.
Even in historical records, it was extremely rare.
As for powerful reinforcements, they shouldn't be reinforcements generated by the dungeon world.
But rather coming from the real world.
Currently, the Lone City of the Eastern Palace Dungeonhad already become a super-large all-weather open dungeon, no longer subject to any restrictions.
People outside, as long as their rank did not exceed Level 240, could enter.
Even during this special period, dungeon tickets were not needed!
[Ding, you have successfully completed the Class Advancement Quest "Sage of Magic, Qi Xiuzhu's Long-Cherished Wish (Guard Dongque, Protect the Common People)", would you like to settle it now?]
Jiang Yuan looked at the last System prompt.
"Settle the quest!"
Jiang Yuan said.
The dungeon underwent a mutation, even entering the so-called second stage.
However, this no longer had any relation to the Class Advancement Quest.
[You have successfully completed the Class Advancement Quest. Because of your outstanding performance in the Class Advancement Quest, you have obtained the evaluation: Super SSS-rank]
[Congratulations on successfully promoting to the Second-Rank 'Instant Cast Mage' (Elite-grade Profession); activated the talent 'Instant Chant: Song of Legacy', all attributes + 800 points, mental attribute additionally + 800 points; obtained all attributes + 50%, mental attribute additionally + 30% rank bonus]
[Congratulations on obtaining a super-high evaluation of Super SSS-rank in the Class Advancement Quest, obtained 'Sage of Magic, Qi Xiuzhu's Inheritance', the talent 'Instant Chant: Song of Legacy' has been strengthened, obtained mental attribute + 300 points; obtained mental attribute additionally + 20% rank bonus]
Swish!
A burst of golden-white light rose from Jiang Yuan's body. At this moment, he felt the power within his body rapidly soaring.
Compared to the initial bonuses, the improvement obtained after formally completing the Class Advancement this time was enormous.
Especially the rank bonus; generally, transitioning into an Elite-grade Profession would only yield a main attribute bonus of around 20%!
Even for a Legendary-grade profession, the rank bonus was only 50%.
Yet for Jiang Yuan, adding all the rewards together, the main attribute—mental attribute—directly obtained a 100% rank bonus!
Even the other attributes all had a 50% bonus.
How could this be an Elite profession's Class Advancement? Calling it a Legendary-grade profession wouldn't be an overstatement at all.
Not to mention, the mental attribute points increased by a full 1,900 points.
Currently, the mental attribute had already reached the ultra-high value of 5,260 points.
Even some Tier 3 spell-type Class Holder did not have mental attributes as high as his.
Especially before entering the dungeon, under the pseudo-Second-Rank state, his mental attribute was only 1,810 points.
Of course, the reason why he could obtain such an ultra-high Class Advancement bonus was still because of the completion degree of the Class Advancement Quest.
It reached the astonishing Super SSS-rank evaluation!
He had only understood previously that Class Advancement Quest evaluations from lowest to highest were D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, S-rank, SS-rank, SSS-rank.
Never had he expected that there would actually be a Super SSS-rank.
This should be the highest evaluation rank, right?
After all, relying on his own strength alone, he had blasted through this Advanced dungeon that reached Level 200 and previously no one could clear.
This was something that even Qi Xiuzhu in history hadn't been able to accomplish!
If the evaluation wasn't high, that would truly be the strange thing!
[Profession: Instant Cast Mage (Second-Rank)]
[rank: Level 60 (Experience for leveling up to Level 61: 21999999 / 22000000)]
[Strength: 2010 (+ 50%)] (Does not include equipment bonuses)
[Mental: 5260 (+ 100%)]
[Agility: 2010 (+ 50%)]
[Physique: 2140 (+ 50%)]
[Mana: 190000 / 210400]
[Health: 16050 / 16050]
[Talent: Magic Mastery, Divine Envoy Contract(Summon), Instant Chant: Song of Legacy (Sage of Magic, Qi Xiuzhu's Inheritance)]
[Skill: Fireball Spell (lv51), Gale Technique (lv22), Thunder Shield Technique (lv20), Water Healing Spell(lv20), Undead Summoning (lv15), Ice Seal Technique(lv10)]
[Equipment: Arbiter Six-Piece Set (Tier 2 epic-grade)]
[Achievement: Guardian of the Eastern Gate (Gold), Gaze from the Abyss (Gold), World Hall of Fame (Gold), world high-level dungeon - clear record holder (Purple), World BOSS Killer (Purple), Mechanical Hunter (White)]
Chapter 92: The 'Rebellion' in Dongque City
At this moment, Jiang Yuan's attribute panel could be described as luxurious, and his strength had undergone a massive surge!
Even those Second-Rank legendary-grade Class Holders might not compare to Jiang Yuan in terms of attributes.
Although he was not a legendary-grade Class Holder, he was superior to a legendary-grade Class Holder!
Especially his mental attribute, which reached as high as 5260 points; with the 100% tier bonus, the value had already exceeded ten thousand!
Furthermore, in terms of HP, it also exceeded ten thousand, reaching 15450, which was not even lower than some warrior-type Class Holders.
He was no longer some fragile mage!
He even had the Thunder Tribulation Dao Body constantly refining his body, and his constitution attribute was continuously increasing.
Over the past few days, it had increased by a full 130 points.
If this continued, even the constitution of a meat-shield Role would not be as high as his!
For Jiang Yuan, the stronger the Tribulation Dao Body, the better.
After all, his damage was already extremely high; with a million-fold Fireball Spell and the World-Extinguishing Ember Flames power of the Extinction Flame Dragon, he could even insta-kill a peak seventh-order Demon Lord.
Facing an eighth-order Abyss Demon Emperor, he might not be an unworthy opponent.
Even against a ninth-order Abyss Demon Emperor, Jiang Yuan had the strength to put up a fight.
Of course, the higher the strength level, the higher the level of Skills and power controlled.
Jiang Yuan was not afraid of head-on clashes, but he feared enemies controlling some special, bizarre methods that were impossible to guard against.
Instant Chant: Song of Legacy (the legacy of Sage of Magic, Qi Xiuzhu)!
Its effects were still the same three as before, but their utility had been greatly enhanced.
Effect one, "Righteous Law": all Skill cooldown times are reduced by 50%; for Skill cooldowns within one hour, cooldown is additionally reduced by 30%; for cooldowns between 1 hour and 1 day, cooldown is additionally reduced by 20%; for cooldowns over 1 day, cooldown is additionally reduced by 10%; this cooldown effect can stack with other cooldown effects (equipment bonuses, Skill bonuses, buff effects, etc.), with a maximum cooldown reduction of 90%.
Effect two, "Instant Song": when releasing Skills, chanting and casting action times are significantly reduced; for chanting or casting times within thirty seconds, it can achieve instant casting.
Effect three, "Spirit Return": mana recovery speed increases; after releasing each Skill, one-third of the mana value is immediately returned; if the Skill successfully kills at least one target, an additional one-third is returned.
Nowadays, after the cooldown reduction can be stacked, it can reach 80%.
Adding the Mechanical Hunter achievement title, it reduces the cooldown of all Skills by one second.
Originally, the Fireball Spell cooldown needed 0.2 seconds!
The Gale Technique cooldown time was 0.4 seconds.
The Thunder Shield Technique cooldown was 0.8 seconds.
The Water Healing Spell cooldown was 1 second.
Undead Summoning still required no cooldown time at all.
The newly acquired Ice Seal Technique, which originally had a three-second cooldown, was now reduced to needing only 0.4 seconds!
And the Skill cooldown reduction cap could actually reach 90%.
Jiang Yuan remembered that for ordinary Class Holders, there was a cap on cooldown reduction; the cooldown could only be reduced by a maximum of 40%!
After reaching 40% cooldown reduction, even if one possessed other Skill, equipment, or treasure cooldown effects, the cooldown time would not be reduced further.
Of course, some special Class Holders were exceptions and could break the 40% cooldown reduction cap.
But like the Instant Cast Mage, being able to stack up to 90% cooldown reduction was absolutely rare, extremely uncommon.
"Amazing!"
Jiang Yuan couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
This Instant Cast Mage was truly too compatible with the system!
With the Instant Chant: Song of Legacy talent, he could release Skills at an astonishing speed, and the efficiency of stacking multiplier increases became faster too!
The second effect, Instant Song, although also somewhat enhanced, for Jiang Yuan, it was still an instant Skill, so it basically had no impact.
The last effect, Spirit Return, gained mana recovery speed and mana return.
At most, it could return two-thirds of the mana value!
While previously it could only return one-fourth of the mana value.
For Jiang Yuan, this would greatly reduce mana consumption, and his sustained output ability undoubtedly became stronger.
He no longer needed to worry about insufficient mana.
Not to mention, his current mana value had already exceeded 210,000 points.
As long as he didn't summon the Extinction Flame Dragon, which was a huge mana consumer, he didn't need to worry about running out of mana.
If releasing other Skills, he could almost achieve infinite output!
...
While Jiang Yuan was immersed in the joy of his surging strength.
Inside Dongque City, because of the dark magic light released by the Dark Bone Demon Emperor, which broke through Dongque City's defenses and even caused many Class Holders to undergo Demonization mutations, it had fallen into complete chaos.
Fortunately, Dongque City, which had fought against the Demon Tide for years, had already accumulated extremely rich experience in dealing with such sudden situations.
As soon as the chaos started, the warning crystals scattered throughout the city simultaneously lit up with red light; shrill yet orderly alarm sounds replaced the chaotic cries, and the broadcast from the warning center resounded in every corner through the rune amplifier stones spread across the city.
At the same time, everyone's smart wristbands or communicators in the city received an alarm issued by the authorities!
"Attention all residents! Attention all residents!"
"This is an eighth-level spatial anomaly alert; everyone return to your residences immediately, close doors and windows, and do not gather to watch!"
"The City Guard and major legions have activated emergency plans; all major guild teams and Class Holderteams, please immediately proceed to the Dungeon Plazato assemble and suppress the mutated and Demonized Class Holders!"
"Repeat, ordinary people return to your residences immediately, Class Holder teams speed to the Dungeon Plaza to assemble..."
As soon as the broadcast finished, the City Lord's Mansion's orders were precisely delivered to all major institutions, legions, and the Professionals Guild in the city in the dual forms of electronic transmission and rune transmission.
Electronic signals were easily affected by high-level energy, and electronic devices could even malfunction due to energy shocks, leading to an inability to use them normally.
In emergency situations, rune transmission could instead deliver information more timely.
And doing both together could ensure nothing went wrong.
"Please remain calm! Return to your residences immediately! Do not crowd! Those who take the opportunity to cause trouble will be executed without mercy!"
The City Guard mobilized everyone immediately; soldiers wearing bright silver armor held standard-issue long spears, quickly sealing off major street intersections and forming human walls to guide the chaotic crowd.
On one hand, it prevented ordinary people from running around and causing chaos.
On the other hand, it was to prevent spies from hostile forces hidden in the city from taking the opportunity to cause trouble and escalate the situation.
Other legions also performed their respective duties; some were responsible for reinforcing key defensive nodes in the city, while others assisted the City Guard in maintaining order, and a mature emergency system began to operate rapidly.
Due to the energy linkage between the dungeon world and reality, the most dangerous place was the Dungeon Plazathat connected the two worlds.
By the time the City Guard arrived at the Dungeon Plaza, many Class Holders had already completely finished Demonization, and the trend of Demonization was continuously spreading.
They were surrounded by faint black demonic mist, their eyes were red, they had lost all reason, and were crazily attacking the companions and guards around them.
These Class Holders were affected by the magic light shot from the Rift Abyss Valley in reality and were eroded and Demonized by the dark power of the Dark Bone Demon Emperor.
This was still because the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's magic light was mainly aimed at the dungeon.
If it had been aimed at the people in the city, I'm afraid tens or hundreds of thousands of people would have been forcibly transformed into Demonized monsters.
"Attack! Resolve this quickly!"
The captains of the major battle teams ordered in unison, without the slightest hesitation.
The combat power of the Demonized Class Holders was not weak to begin with, and coupled with the blessing of dark power, they had already become "rebels" threatening the safety of the city.
The Class Holders cast their Skills one after another, as sword flashes and various Skill lights intertwined, launching attacks towards the Demonized Class Holders.
Among them, the five-person group of the Divine Wing Battle Team, Qi Qingyang and the others, were even 'wreaking havoc' in the Dungeon Plaza.
As Class Holders who were all Sixth-Turn, even Demonized Class Holders were no match for them.
For a time, intense fighting erupted in the Dungeon Plaza; the Demonized Class Holders let out inhuman roars, and as dark energy collided with the Class Holders' Skills, bursts of energy shockwaves exploded.
Chapter 93: High-Level Powerhouses Assemble
The demonized rebellion was quickly suppressed.
Regrettably, all the demonized Class Holders ended up losing their lives.
It wasn't that the Class Holders were heartless, but rather that the number of priests in the city was limited, and the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's Demonization power was extremely overbearing, containing pure Abyss core laws that far exceeded the level of ordinary dark erosion.
Ordinary priests' purification Skills simply couldn't take effect and could not save those demonized Class Holders; in fact, if they weren't careful, they themselves would be eroded in turn.
To prevent the scope of Demonization from expanding further, they could only endure the pain of slaying all the demonized Class Holders.
After resolving the crisis of the demonized Class Holders, the various powerhouses in the city arrived at the Dungeon Plaza.
Above the Dungeon Plaza, dozens of figures were suspended in the air.
Every single one of them was a high-level Class Holder!
Each had a profound aura, and their bodies radiated significant energy fluctuations!
It was truly a rare sight to see so many high-level powerhouses gathered together.
They included Dongque City's Vice City Lord, various legion commanders, guild masters of top Class Holders Guilds, patriarchs and elders of great families, heads of major factions, as well as the core staff and senior guest officials of the City Lord's Manor.
Even Fan Jian, the person in charge of the Early Warning Center, was among them.
The Dungeon Plaza was not far from the Early Warning Center, so even if he left temporarily, it wouldn't be a major issue.
"Has the City Lord not arrived?"
A guild master looked toward Vice City Lord Gao Du.
"The City Lord has more important matters!"
Gao Du said with an unchanging expression as he turned his gaze to Fan Jian. "Why are you here?"
"The demonic energy levels in Rift Abyss Valley are rapidly decreasing; they've currently dropped to Level 5!"
"The rift in Rift Abyss Valley has been resealed!"
"It seems the Dark Bone Demon Emperor was only testing the waters this time, projecting a portion of his power into the real world without any intention of a full-scale invasion..."
Fan Jian looked around and spoke to the crowd.
As soon as these words were spoken, the tense expressions on everyone's faces visibly relaxed quite a bit.
As long as nothing went wrong at Rift Abyss Valley, there was no major problem!
As for the thousands of demonized Class Holders who were killed, for Dongque City with its population of sixty million, the casualty ratio was only one in ten thousand.
Such a low casualty rate was completely acceptable.
One must know that every time there was a disturbance in Rift Abyss Valley or a Demon Tide crisis, deaths and injuries were counted in the tens of thousands!
"So, the Dark Bone Demon Emperor was just bored and went to such great lengths only to strike the boundary stone of a dungeon teleportation array?"
Qi Liben, the current patriarch of the Qi Family, showed a puzzled expression.
"Who knows?"
"It's not like the Dark Bone Demon Emperor has only had his sights on Dongque City for a day or two!"
"Furthermore, an anomaly occurred in the Dongque Lone City dungeon, and it has become a super-large open dungeon!"
"Could there be some conspiracy behind this?"
Others chimed in with their views.
Jiang Yuan wasn't the only one who received news about the changes in the Lone City of the Eastern Palace Dungeon; other Class Holders had also received relevant information.
What they suspected now was that the Dark Bone Demon Emperor certainly wouldn't be so kind as to help them upgrade a high-level dungeon.
He must be seeking something.
They were worried that the Dark Bone Demon Emperorintended to lure people into the dungeon to kill them, thereby reducing Dongque City's high-end combat power.
Who knew what that demonic light projected by the Dark Bone Demon Emperor actually contained.
And how strong was that mental avatar that descended into the dungeon!
There were only a few Level 9 Class Holders in Dongque City.
But even if they joined forces, they might not necessarily be a match for the Dark Bone Demon Emperor.
However, the Dark Bone Demon Emperor was, after all, a figure at the peak of the Demon Emperor level; descending into the real world was not that simple.
The first step required tearing open a large enough spatial rift for his true body to fully descend.
And Rift Abyss Valley was always being watched; any disturbance would be reported to Dongque City and the Federation.
Moreover, if the Dark Bone Demon Emperor dared to descend in his true body again, the Federation would surely do its utmost to intercept and kill him, never letting him escape like he did three hundred years ago.
The Federation's top-tier combat power was not to be trifled with!
The City Lord of Dongque City had not shown his face yet, presumably because he was monitoring the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's every move to prevent a sneak attack.
"According to the analysis of the City Lord's Manor's think tank, the Dark Bone Demon Emperor has been unable to break through the defenses of Rift Abyss Valley for several hundred years!"
"He must be planning to find another way!"
"It is highly likely that he wants to connect the Dongque Lone City dungeon world with the Abyss Realm!"
"Then use the dungeon world as a breakthrough point to invade reality!"
Vice City Lord Gao Du said in a heavy voice.
One must realize that the entrance and exit of the dungeon world were right inside Dongque City.
Using this as a breakthrough point to attack Dongque Citywould be much simpler than coming from Rift Abyss Valley.
And once successful, Dongque City would begin to disintegrate from the inside, unable to even organize a defense.
"That does sound like the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's style!"
Someone echoed.
"Whether it is or not, we must stop it!"
"We must kill the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's mental avatar in the dungeon world!"
"The problem is, the current situation inside the dungeon world is unknown; who knows what dangers lie there!"
"Who should we send? Who is willing to go? Who has absolute certainty they can kill the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's mental avatar?"
Although the people present were high-level powerhouses, they still felt quite powerless when facing the Dark Bone Demon Emperor.
There was no helping it; a man's reputation is like a tree's shadow—the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's strength was simply too great!
Every time he appeared, many high-level powerhouses would die at his hands!
The many people present had worked hard to cultivate to their current level; how could they be willing to go to their deaths?
If Dongque City were in imminent danger and they had no way to retreat, they would certainly choose to fight for their lives.
But now, the situation was unknown and not yet clear; they couldn't possibly risk entering the dungeon world.
If they died, they would be free of it.
Even though the Dongque City authorities and the Federation would give them certain rewards.
But without the support of high-end combat power, the factions and families behind them would likely fall into decline and extinction from then on.
"This matter requires further deliberation!"
Someone suggested.
"But isn't there only twenty-four hours!"
Another person spoke up in rebuttal.
"Didn't they say there's a Flame God inside the dungeon?"
"Him? He's just a Saint Mage at most Level 200; on his own, he's simply no match for the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's avatar!"
"Hmph, even if he's not a match, he should still fight the Dark Bone Demon Emperor with his life; this anomaly was originally caused by him..."
"What is the origin of this Flame God anyway? Could he be an undercover agent sent by the Abyssal Demon Race, or perhaps someone from the Demon God Hall?"
The high-level powerhouses argued incessantly.
"Let's not talk nonsense without evidence; if it reaches the other party's ears, it won't look good for anyone."
"What's more, he is still a senior guest official of Dongque City!"
"If we want to deal with the Dark Bone Demon Emperorinside the dungeon, we might even need to join forces with him."
Vice City Lord Gao Du spoke up at the right time to stop them. "Everyone, let's stick to the facts and quickly come up with a solution. If it really doesn't work, then we'll just have to draw lots; whoever is drawn, goes in!"
Chapter 94: A Fallen Powerhouse! Two Emperors and One Sovereign
"Then let's draw lots! Life and death are up to fate! How many do we need to draw?" someone said bluntly.
Drawing lots was undoubtedly the only solution at the moment.
Otherwise, if they kept discussing it, there would be no results at all.
After all, no one was willing to enter the dungeon world.
The scene fell into silence, and everyone seemed to accept this plan.
Either way, it was up to fate.
If one was actually drawn, then there was nothing to be done!
Some things, there must always be someone to shoulder them!
"Who goes there?! No approach allowed here!"
At that moment, outside the sealed Dungeon Plaza, the City Guard soldiers responsible for guarding the perimeter immediately became vigilant.
Three blurred figures were seen speeding from afar, their speed astonishingly fast, arriving at the perimeter defense line of the Dungeon Plaza in the blink of an eye.
The energy barrier at the defense line lit up instantly, blocking the path of the three figures.
The various powerhouses within the barrier also noticed the disturbance outside and turned to look.
Outside the defense line, three figures stood silently, their auras extremely eerie.
Leading them was a one-armed swordsman in a black robe, with charred traces still remaining on his severed arm.
His only right arm gripped an ancient longsword, its scabbard covered in cracks, and a faint aura of death lingered around him!
Beside him was a frail old man with a hunched figure, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. His face was covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were exceptionally murky, occasionally flashing with a faint, ghostly light. The skin exposed from his robes was covered in tiny black wounds.
The last person was a man covered in black spots, which spread from his neck to his entire body, like some kind of malignant sore. His breathing was extremely weak, and he looked frail to the extreme.
Yet, wisps of black smoke would occasionally emerge from his body, mixed with a faint dark demonic energy, somewhat similar to the state of those Class Holders who had undergone Demonization.
"The auras of these three... are so eerie!" Qi Liben, the head of the Qi family, said with a solemn expression.
"These people appear frail, yet they faintly exude a heart-palpitating, dangerous aura. And the fluctuation of demonic energy in that black smoke... does it feel familiar? It's somewhat similar to the power of the Dark Bone Demon Emperor!"
"Could they be traitors from the Demon God Hall?"
"How dare they appear so openly! Do they think Dongque City has no one?"
"Let's capture them and interrogate them first!"
The various powerhouses spoke up one after another.
You must know, although they dared not enter the dungeon world because everything inside was an unknown, and there was a terrifyingly strong Dark Bone Demon Emperor, this was their Dongque City base camp!
"Don't be hasty, they are not enemies!" Vice City Lord Gao Du's expression changed slightly, and he ordered the City Guard to step aside and let the three enter.
The others all looked at Vice City Lord Gao Du with puzzled expressions.
Vice City Lord Gao Du flew towards the frail old man.
"Old City Lord, why are you here? Quickly return to the Holy Spring, otherwise..."
Vice City Lord Gao Du said with an urgent look, even wanting to reach out and grab the old man.
But the old man, despite his frail appearance, was very agile and dodged the hand of Vice City Lord Gao Du.
The high-level powerhouses present saw this and a flicker of strangeness flashed in their eyes.
As Vice City Lord, Gao Du had broken through to the Eighth Rank many years ago.
Among everyone, his strength was also among the best.
Although it was just a casual grab, an ordinary person would simply not be able to dodge it.
"Our old bones don't have much time left!"
"If we don't show up now, we won't live for a few more years anyway!"
"Rather than dying in painful torment, it's better to die heroically on the battlefield!"
The frail old man's voice was hoarse and dry, like the friction of rusted iron.
"So it's him?"
"Who is it?"
"The Old City Lord of Dongque City, or to be precise, the City Lord from three hundred years ago, Jiang Heng!"
"So it's Senior Jiang? I didn't expect him to still be alive. I thought he had long since..."
"I've seen his portrait before; he doesn't seem to look like this!"
"Sigh, it's all because of that battle three hundred years ago."
"Is that one-armed swordsman that person?"
"Since he is with the Old City Lord, he must be the Shadowy Blade Emperor who shook the Federation three hundred years ago and was hailed as the Federation's number one genius swordsman!"
The crowd looked at the three frail old men, their eyes involuntarily revealing pity and regret, mixed with a trace of awe.
At this moment, they finally knew the origins of these three.
The frail old man, the former City Lord of Dongque City, Jiang Heng, was once a Ninth Rank Dragon Language Emperor. In that battle, he led many powerhouses to the Rift Abyss Valley. During the fight, he suffered heavy injuries from the Dark Bone Demon Emperor, sustaining permanent damage, and his body had been continuously eroded by Abyssal demonic energy, causing his cultivation realm to decline all the way.
Jiang Heng had not appeared in public for hundreds of years, and rumors had long spread among the populace that he had fallen.
The one-armed swordsman was the Ghost Shadow Sword Emperor Ji Beichen. He became famous at a young age, a top-tier monstrous genius with countless honors. He was once a leading figure of a generation in the Federation, the youngest Ghost Shadow Sword Emperor... and at the time, he was even considered the person most likely to break through to become a god!
It was a pity that heaven was jealous of talent.
In that great battle at Dongque City, he fought the Dark Bone Demon Emperor with his body as a Ghost Shadow Sword Emperor, suffering permanent, severe injuries. He endured the erosion and torment of Abyssal demonic aura, which prevented his cultivation realm from ever breaking through.
For three hundred years, he could only stay in a Holy Spring, lingering on his last breath, only surviving until now.
The last man covered in black spots was formerly the Vice Dean of Dongque Academy, named Xiang Nan, nicknamed the Frenzied Blood War Emperor.
His experience was similar to the first two.
However, at that time, the Dongque Academy's overall strength consistently ranked in the top ten of the Federation, and even once broke into the top three, mentioned in the same breath as the Nanjiang Academy.
Unfortunately, like Dongque City, it gradually declined after that battle.
The current Dong Que Academy is still ranked in the top hundred of the Federation.
But there is a huge gap between it and the Five Great Academies!
By the way, the Shadowy Blade Emperor was a member of the Dongque Academy at that time.
In that battle, almost most of the high-level powerhouses of the Dongque Academy participated, but the vast majority died on the battlefield.
Even the Dean was ambushed by the Dark Bone Demon Emperor and fell.
The three people, including Jiang Heng, were among the few remaining survivors.
Although their lives were saved, the torture they endured all these years was worse than death.
But regardless, these three were top-tier powerhouses who once stood at the peak.
Even now, they still possess powerful combat capabilities!
"But..." Vice City Lord Gao Du looked at the Old City Lord; he knew why the three of them had come.
But they had only been able to live all these years by relying on the Holy Spring to keep their last breath.
Once they left the Holy Spring, they wouldn't live long at all.
Let alone engaging in a battle!
"Everyone dies eventually, no need to persuade us!"
"Besides, having lived for three hundred years, we have lived enough!"
"Many good brothers are waiting for me down below!"
Vice City Lord Gao Du waved his skin-and-bones right hand, and his eyes, deep as black holes, slowly swept over the others.
"Let us end this grudge with the Dark Bone Demon Emperor!"
"As for you younger generation, you have more important missions!"
"Dongque City is handed over to you!"
After Vice City Lord Gao Du finished speaking, he walked towards the dungeon's teleportation array.
The Shadowy Blade Emperor and the Frenzied Blood War Emperor followed silently behind, never saying a word from beginning to end.
They knew that the road ahead was a path to certain death, yet they still went on without hesitation!
Nothing else, just for the faith in their hearts!
Some things, someone always has to do them!
Chapter 95: Ice Lock Entanglement! Ice Prism Cage!
Only after the figures of the three disappeared from the entrance of the teleportation array did the others react.
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with awe and helplessness.
Those three were historical figures from textbooks, and even more so, the heroes who saved Dongque City.
Unexpectedly, three hundred years later, they stood up once again to protect Dongque City, even if it meant sacrificing their own lives.
It is just a pity, the tragic end of heroes!
"I never thought that even with our old bones, there would still come a time when we are called the younger generation!"
"To the Old City Lord, we are indeed young people!"
"With the three seniors here, they should be able to deal with the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's consciousness avatar, right!"
"It shouldn't be a problem; after all, that is just an avatar, not the main body!"
"Furthermore, no matter what, the three seniors were once the 'Two Emperors and One Sovereign'!"
"It's just a pity that they will likely burn themselves out in this battle!"
Everyone present could not help but show signs of sorrow and lamentation.
But although they are the Two Emperors and One Sovereign.
However, their current strength definitely has not reached the Emperor level!
Especially the Dragon Language Emperor and the Mad Blood War Emperor Xiang Nan; from the moment they successfully entered the dungeon, it meant they were no longer true Emperor-level powerhouses.
Because once their current level exceeds 240, they would no longer be able to enter the dungeon.
"The people of Dongque will never forget the heroes who sacrificed themselves for Dongque City!"
Gao Du said with a serious expression.
He knew that the Old City Lord and the other two would surely die on this trip.
The only thing they could do was to build a grand and tall tombstone for the three seniors and record their heroic deeds.
Then, they would erect their statues in the central square in front of the City Lord's mansion, to be revered by all the people and enjoy the incense of the Dongque people!
Regarding this, Gao Du immediately ordered his subordinates to arrange the funeral affairs for the three heroes, wanting to hold a grand funeral that would shake the entire city for them!
Heroes! They deserve the treatment of heroes. We must not chill the hearts of heroes!
In this way, when the spirits of the three heroes see it in heaven, they will no longer have any regrets!
...
Inside the dungeon world. It had already completely fallen into a dark purgatory.
Thick, ink-like black mist blotted out the sky and sun, completely devouring the last trace of light between heaven and earth, and even energy fluctuations were firmly imprisoned by this darkness.
Only the terrifying demonic power coming from the direction of the Rift Abyss Valley outlined a heart-palpitating silhouette in the black mist.
Facing the world's mutation, Jiang Yuan seemed to treat it as nothing.
[Ding, used Ice Seal Technique once, Skill power increased by one fold; current amplification multiplier: 10 times]
[Ding, Ice Seal Technique amplification multiplier reached 10 times, obtained special effect: Ice Lock Entanglement]
[Ding, used Ice Seal Technique once, Skill power increased by one fold; current amplification multiplier: 100 times]
[Ding, Ice Seal Technique amplification multiplier reached 100 times, obtained special effect: Ice Prism Cage]
The effect of Ice Lock Entanglement is to condense frost elements into flexible chains, rapidly tracking single or multiple targets, wrapping and binding them, making the targets unable to move; in this state, the frost damage received will increase, and if the target forcibly breaks free, the frost chains will shatter into ice needles, causing damage to the target.
Ice Prism Cage, with an ice pillar as the center, forms a huge cage of eight large, sharp ice prisms around it, sealing the target, suppressing the power within the target's body, weakening their strength, continuously causing frost impact to their body, and having a chance to cause effects such as dizziness, sleep, and soul loss.
Jiang Yuan, taking advantage of the time before the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's consciousness avatar had completely descended, continuously stacked the Skill's amplification multiplier bonuses.
Among them, the newly acquired Ice Seal Technique was successfully stacked to over one hundred times, and two special effects were successfully unlocked.
With the Ice Seal Technique, it just happened to make up for the deficiency in Jiang Yuan's control methods.
"Hmm?"
"Someone is coming?"
Jiang Yuan clapped his hands, and the frost on his palms instantly melted.
He looked towards the empty battlements of Dongque City. There, three figures had appeared.
Seeing this, when Jiang Yuan carefully observed the three, his brows could not help but furrow tightly.
He originally thought that what he would be waiting for would be reinforcements from Dongque City.
But the three who appeared did not look simple at all, faintly exuding the pressure of experts.
However, their physical state was very strange, and strands of black mist would occasionally emerge from their bodies.
Jiang Yuan was all too familiar with this black mist. This was clearly the aura of dark demonic energy!
"Are these Class Holders who have undergone Demonization?"
"Could it be that Dongque City in reality has fallen?"
"Or are they people who sneaked in while the authorities weren't paying attention?"
A look of solemnity flashed in Jiang Yuan's eyes.
And just as Jiang Yuan was observing them, the three also noticed Jiang Yuan high in the sky and looked up.
For a moment, three deep, weathered, and unfathomable gazes were cast over, making Jiang Yuan feel a tingling sensation on his scalp, and his pressure increased sharply.
"These three are even more terrifying than the Bone-Corroding Demon Lord!"
"Moreover, they are definitely not ordinary Tier 8 or 8th-turn combat power!"
Crimson golden flames suddenly ignited around Jiang Yuan's body.
Facing such unknown experts, naturally, stability should be the priority.
Don't look at the fact that he killed the Tier 7, Level 210 Bone-Corroding Demon Lord; that was only achieved by relying on the power of the Extinction Flame Dragon.
Right now, he is not afraid of Tier 7 opponents. But if it is Tier 8, he does not have a guaranteed chance of winning.
Otherwise, Jiang Yuan would not have been waiting for reinforcements from Dongque City; he would have probably run off to fight the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's avatar long ago!
But the three in front of him are not ordinary 8th-turn Class Holders. The aura on their bodies is not much weaker than that figure from the Rift Abyss Valley!
Even if the Dark Bone Demon Emperor's consciousness avatar does not have the full power of its main body, it is at least at the peak Tier 8 strength.
One peak Tier 8 is one thing. Now three more have come?
Are they really not afraid of fighting until the heavens collapse and the earth cracks, shattering the dungeon world?
At this moment, Jiang Yuan was hesitating whether to retreat from the dungeon first.
After all, he can fight at most one Tier 8. If these three are on the side of the Dark Bone Demon Emperor, he cannot withstand them at all.
As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall; those who know the times are heroes.
Right now he is not a match. As long as he stacks the Fireball Spell's amplification multiplier to ten million times.
Never mind four Tier 8 experts. Even if there were forty, Jiang Yuan would be confident in wiping them all out.
If he doesn't leave now, once they join forces, it will be too late to leave!
Swish!
And just when Jiang Yuan was feeling tremendous pressure, the three figures all shifted their gazes and turned to look into the distance.
Immediately, the three walked through the air, taking thousand-meter steps, heading towards the Rift Abyss Valley!
"Should I leave or not?"
"I'd better wait and see the situation first!"
Jiang Yuan looked at the backs of the three, then looked at Dongque City, and found that no one else had appeared.
Logically speaking, since such a huge change has occurred in the dungeon, it is impossible for the Dongque Cityauthorities to have no reaction at all.
At the very least, they should have sent people into the dungeon world to investigate the situation!
Could it be that those three are not Demonized creatures or fallen Class Holders, but reinforcements sent by Dongque City?