Trial of the Shadow Realm
——"Abyssal Ruins Dungeon Unlocked!"
As the loot was collected, the system interface in front of Ling Tian popped up with a prompt again. A dark red light emerged from the ground, coalescing into a distorted black portal, within which countless wraiths seemed to whisper, emitting a chilling aura.
"Abyssal Ruins..." Ling Tian murmured, his brow slightly furrowed. This was definitely no ordinary dungeon; judging from Alger's strength, this ruin would surely be filled with even more terrifying enemies.
——Enter Abyssal Ruins? (Team recommended, single challenge extremely high difficulty)
Ling Tian sneered, "Single challenge with extremely high difficulty? Just what I want."
He lightly pressed the "Confirm" button, and the black portal instantly swallowed his figure.
Abyssal Ruins, Realm of Shadows
Ling Tian's vision rapidly shifted, and when he regained his footing, he found himself in a dim, ruined place. The surrounding air was cold and damp, and above was a pale blood moon, casting a faint glow that made the space even more eerie.
He scanned the surroundings warily, noticing in the ruins not far away a broken stone tablet with a few blurred characters:
"Trial of the Shadow Realm."
"Trial?" Ling Tian raised an eyebrow, his gaze moving down to a dark red disk beneath the stone tablet, which seemed to be some kind of activation device.
——Activate Trial of the Shadow Realm?
Without hesitation, Ling Tian pressed it.
——"Trial activated, challenger: Ling Tian."
——"Rules: Survive to the end to clear."
——"First wave of Shadow Spirits, descend!"
As soon as the words fell, the surrounding shadows began to surge wildly, and countless black ghostly figures twisted and emerged from the ground. They had no physical form, only a pair of scarlet eyes, staring intently at Ling Tian.
[Shadow Spirit (Elite)]
* HP: 5000
* Attacks: Soul Impact, Soul Devour
* Traits: Immune to physical attacks, only vulnerable to magic damage
"Immune to physical? That's a problem." Ling Tian muttered, immediately raising his short staff, a faint holy light surrounding him.
"Try this!"
——[Radiant Holy Ring]!
A dazzling golden ring rapidly expanded, enveloping the surrounding Shadow Spirits! The power of holy light had a natural counter to these dark creatures, and the Shadow Spirits' bodies twisted and writhed in the light, their health plummeting!
-1024!
-980!
-1050!
In just three seconds, the first batch of Shadow Spirits was cleared. However, the text on the stone tablet changed again—
——"Second wave of trial activated, Shadow Knight descends!"
Shadow Knight, Shadow Assault!
The ground trembled, and a black figure rushed in like a gust of wind! Ling Tian reacted instantly, dodging to the side, but in the next moment, a pitch-black spear had already pierced the air, grazing his shoulder!
He spun around, seeing a knight clad in broken black armor staring coldly at him, with eerie blue flames burning in his deep shadow eyes.
[Shadow Knight (BOSS)]
* HP: 20000
* Attacks: Shadow Assault, Cursed Spear Strike, Swift Step Combo
* Traits: High-speed attacks, dual physical and magical damage
"Not just magic attacks, this guy's physical attacks are equally deadly." Ling Tian was inwardly vigilant, gripping his short staff tightly.
The Shadow Knight suddenly let out a low growl, his figure turning into a black shadow, instantly closing the distance!
——[Swift Step Combo]activated!
"So fast!"
Ling Tian immediately used [Shadow Mist Step], his body turning into an afterimage, narrowly avoiding the knight's first strike, but the second strike followed closely, the black spear piercing through the air with an aura of death!
——[Swift Shield]!
A shield suddenly appeared, but it only blocked the spear for a moment before shattering!
-1250! (Shield broken)
-3200! (HP loss)
Ling Tian grunted, his health dropping by a third in an instant!
"This guy's damage is even higher than Alger's..."
However, the Shadow Knight didn't give him a chance to catch his breath, and the black spear swept across again!
——[Holy Radiance Impact]!
A golden light wave burst out, briefly repelling the Shadow Knight. Ling Tian quickly retreated, adjusting his state.
"I must find an opening!"
He keenly observed the Shadow Knight's movement patterns, noticing that after each Swift Step Combo, the BOSS's movements would pause for a moment—
"Here's my chance!"
He let out a low shout, quickly forming a hand seal.
——[Radiant Judgment]!
A dazzling holy sword suddenly descended from the sky, accurately striking the Shadow Knight!
"Roar—!"
The Shadow Knight let out a shrill scream, his body violently trembling under the impact of the holy light, cracks appearing on his black armor!
Ling Tian seized the opportunity, quickly launching a combo!
——[Holy Light Impact]! (Armor break)
——[Divine Spear]! (Burst damage)
-5800!
-6700!
The Shadow Knight's health rapidly dropped, leaving only a sliver! However, at this moment, it suddenly raised its spear, concentrating all its dark power!
——[Cursed Spear Strike]activated!
The black spear light soared into the sky, and Ling Tian immediately felt a piercing pain in the depths of his soul. System prompts popped up frantically—
"You have received 'Soul Curse', death in three seconds!"
"What?!" Ling Tian's pupils shrank, this move was a one-hit kill?!
He had no time to think, quickly flipping open his inventory, his fingers rapidly sliding across the potion slots!
——[Tears of an Angel](Legendary recovery item)
"I'll risk it!"
He directly downed a bottle, and a powerful holy light instantly surged through his body, purifying the [Soul Curse]state!
The Shadow Knight, as if realizing its ultimate skill had been nullified, roared and charged towards Ling Tian, brandishing its spear!
"It's over!"
Ling Tian leaped up, raising his short staff high, the holy light coalescing into a giant light blade!
——[Holy Light Slash]!
The light blade pierced through the air, slashing towards the Shadow Knight's neck!
——Critical hit!
-10200!
The Shadow Knight's body suddenly froze, then turned into countless fragments in the golden light, slowly dissipating...
Trial End, Unknown Summons
Ling Tian panted heavily, watching a flashing golden orb on the battlefield.
"Finally cleared..."
However, before he could pick up the loot, the blood moon above suddenly turned even darker red, and a low murmur echoed in his ears—
"The trial... has only just begun..."
(To be continued)