Sovereign of Shadows

In the dim Abyssal Ruins, as the Shadow Knight dissipated, Ling Tian was about to collect the loot when the blood moon above suddenly darkened, a crimson mist filling the air, and a strong sense of unease swept over him.

——"The trial... has only just begun..."

The murmur echoed in his ears, as if an invisible presence was watching him. Ling Tian abruptly looked up, scanning his surroundings warily, and saw a deep rift slowly tearing open in the once pitch-black sky.

The next second, a pale, withered hand slowly reached out, its nails sharp as knives and as black as ink. Then, a figure emerged from the rift, a tall figure clad in shattered dark gold armor. His face was hidden beneath a black hood, and his eyes were eerie blue, like hellfire from the abyss, staring intently at Ling Tian.

——"Ding! Final BOSS of the Shadow Trial: Sovereign of Shadows descends!"

[Sovereign of Shadows (Abyssal Lord, SS-Rank BOSS)]

* HP: 100000

* Attacks: Shadow Pierce, Void Imprisonment, Soul Deprivation

* Traits: Ultra-high speed movement, Shadow Devour, Soul Tremor

"SS-Rank BOSS?" Ling Tian's eyes narrowed slightly as he gripped his short staff tightly.

The air suddenly froze, and the Sovereign of Shadows' figure swayed slightly, instantly turning into a pitch-black phantom, charging straight at Ling Tian!

——"Shadow Pierce!"

"So fast!"

Ling Tian's heart tightened, and he instinctively activated [Shadow Mist Step], his body instantly blurring into an afterimage!

Puchi!

The pitch-black claws tore through the air, barely missing his chest. Ling Tian flipped and landed, stomped his feet, and quickly retreated, cold sweat already forming on his forehead.

This guy's speed is more than twice as fast as the previous Shadow Knight!

——"Void Imprisonment!"

The Sovereign of Shadows didn't give him a chance to breathe; with a slight spread of his fingers, the air suddenly twisted, and an invisible force pressed down from all directions!

Ling Tian felt his body suddenly sink, his limbs bound as if by countless black chains, unable to move!

"Crap!"

The Sovereign of Shadows' figure suddenly flashed in front of him, his pitch-black nails gleaming coldly, stabbing fiercely towards Ling Tian's heart!

In that moment of life and death, Ling Tian let out a low growl, and golden light exploded from his body!

——[Holy Radiance Shield]!

A transparent holy light shield instantly appeared, blocking the fatal blow! But it only lasted a second before the shield shattered!

-4500! (Shield broken)

The Sovereign of Shadows sneered, suddenly raising his arm and waving his hand—

——"Soul Deprivation!"

A beam of pitch-black light shot out, aiming straight for Ling Tian's head!

Ling Tian's eyes flashed with cold light, and he quickly formed a hand seal, golden light appearing on his body, instantly activating a skill!

——[Radiant Impact]!

A dazzling golden beam shot out, colliding fiercely with the black beam in mid-air!

Boom!

The two energies collided, and the powerful shockwave tore through the ground, the surrounding buildings collapsing into fragments!

Ling Tian used the impact to retreat, quickly pulled out a high-level life potion and drank it, while keeping his eyes locked on the Sovereign of Shadows, his mind rapidly calculating tactics.

"This guy's attack pattern is mainly high-speed assaults and control skills. I have to find his weakness, or I'll just be passively beaten."

——"Shadow Devour!"

The Sovereign of Shadows activated another skill, and the surrounding black mist quickly gathered into countless pitch-black tentacles, sweeping towards Ling Tian!

"Damn it!"

Ling Tian pushed off with his legs, leaping up, his body rolling in mid-air, barely avoiding the tentacles' encirclement. However, a pitch-black tentacle suddenly struck him from behind, hitting him hard in the side!

-6800! (Shadow Devour damage)

Ling Tian grunted, his body slamming into the ground, rolling several times before barely stabilizing himself. He quickly propped himself up, looked down, and found that his health had dropped to the dangerous red zone!

"This guy... is too strong!"

But he knew this was not the time to back down.

He took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his state, and locked his eyes on the Sovereign of Shadows, recalling the battle trajectory in his mind.

——"His Shadow Pierce is extremely fast, but there's a brief charging time before he attacks."

——"The Void Imprisonment's range is fixed; if I can move before the skill is activated, I can avoid the control."

——"Soul Deprivation is a straight-line attack; I have to predict his trajectory before he releases it..."

As his thoughts raced, the Sovereign of Shadows charged again!

This time, Ling Tian didn't retreat but charged towards his attack!

——"Holy Radiance Slash!"

He raised his short staff, and the golden holy light condensed into a giant light blade, slashing fiercely towards the Sovereign of Shadows' chest!

However, just as the light blade was about to fall, the Sovereign of Shadows' figure suddenly turned into a black afterimage, instantly flashing behind him!

"Just as I thought!"

Ling Tian's lips curled into a sneer, and he suddenly turned his short staff!

——[Radiant Judgment]!

The light blade reversed direction, bursting with brilliant golden light, slashing fiercely towards the Sovereign of Shadows' head!

-12500! (Critical hit)

"Roar—!"

The Sovereign of Shadows let out a painful roar, his figure trembling violently, and black energy surged wildly, as if he was about to enter a berserk state!

——"Soul Tremor!"

Black light waves exploded from his body, covering the entire battlefield!

Ling Tian felt a jolt in his brain, his vision blurred, and his movements were greatly slowed!

"Crap... this guy is going all out!"

But he didn't panic; instead, he let out a low growl—

——[Angel Descent]!

Golden wings slowly unfolded from his back, and holy light fell, instantly clearing his state and temporarily increasing all attributes by 30%!

"It's over."

Ling Tian's figure flashed, rapidly approaching the Sovereign of Shadows, his short staff gathering the last of his strength, and he slashed down!

——[Divine Strike]!

Boom!

The blazing white light instantly engulfed the entire battlefield, and the Sovereign of Shadows' body was torn apart by the holy light, turning into countless points of light and dissipating into the air!

——"Ding! Successfully killed the Sovereign of Shadows!"

As the system prompt sounded, Ling Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground, a tired but joyful smile on his face.

However, just as he was about to check the loot, the ground suddenly trembled violently, and an eerie golden rune slowly appeared—

——"You have passed the Shadow Trial... step into the true abyss..."

Ling Tian's pupils shrank, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart...

(To be continued)