Chapter 142: The Hall of the Sword Demon

[Ghoul] (Leader-tier)
HP: 120,000
Level: 40

These newly emerged, hideous monsters not only possessed significantly more vitality than those in the previous Second Hall, but their numbers had also doubled, totaling 40.

Gazing at the cluster of monsters in the center of the hall, Leng Yueshuang felt her scalp tingle. With so many formidable foes, let alone the two of them, even a group of twenty would likely meet their end here. She had initially felt a glimmer of confidence upon hearing that Ye Chen possessed a secret manual, but seeing the sheer volume of monsters, her resolve wavered. What kind of manual could possibly wipe out such a terrifying horde? Did such a thing even exist?

"Are you certain your manual can handle these monsters?" Leng Yueshuang swallowed—not very ladylike, but understandable. Since entering the Fourth Zone, this was the first time she had faced such a horrifying scenario. Forty leader-tier monsters, one semi-spirit lich, and a spirit-grade sword spirit whose level wasn't even visible—such a lineup would be impossible for an average team to handle, even in the old zones. To face this with only two people was nothing short of madness.

"Absolutely no problem. But the prerequisite is that I must be able to activate the manual, and I need your cooperation." Ye Chen knew he had to provide his teammate with absolute confidence at this moment.

Leng Yueshuang was, after all, an experienced veteran. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and said, "Alright, tell me what to do."

"The key to the manual lies in that magic circle. I need you to lure those forty ghouls away." As he spoke, Ye Chen retrieved the remaining soul crystals from his pack.

"Lure them away? Can that magic circle also be powered by soul crystals?" Leng Yueshuang looked at the blood-red magic circle surrounded by ghouls, a realization dawning on her. No wonder Ye Chen had insisted on keeping the extra soul crystals earlier.

"Exactly. You'll understand everything soon. Can you lure away forty leader-tier monsters?" Ye Chen looked at her. If she couldn't, he would have no choice but to sacrifice several of his own wraiths to do the job. However, every wraith was crucial for what was to come; if possible, he didn't want to send them to their deaths.

"Heh, if you wanted me to kill forty leader-tier monsters, I’d turn around and leave right now. But just luring them? That’s no problem at all. My title as the top thief in Tunyun City isn't just for show." Leng Yueshuang chuckled, tucked her daggers back into her belt, and whipped out a small bronze hand crossbow. She said confidently, "Tell me where to start. Today, I'll let you see what a real thief is capable of, you oddball from Lieshan City."

An oddball! This woman was bringing up that nickname again...

Seeing Ye Chen’s frustrated expression, Leng Yueshuang giggled, looking quite delighted. "This time, 'oddball' is meant as a compliment."

Ye Chen kept a straight face, thinking to himself that he’d rather not have such a compliment, but he didn't dwell on it. Living among thirteen different types of women, he knew better than to argue with them over such matters.

"Start from the front. Be careful; don't get yourself killed, or we’ll both fail the mission," Ye Chen cautioned. He then hurried to organize his twenty-four wraiths into a line. They would need to lead the charge into the magic circle, and a disorganized formation would easily attract unnecessary aggro.

"Then you’d better move quickly. I can't hold off forty leader-tier monsters for long," Leng Yueshuang said, her expression turning serious.

"Understood. One minute, tops."

With his twenty-four wraiths lined up, Ye Chen felt a twinge of nervousness. While the strategy was sound, activating the manual in the face of such powerful monsters was no easy task. The slightest mistake would mean certain death.

"I’m going." With that, Leng Yueshuang loaded her crossbow and sprinted toward the center of the hall.

Once she was a few dozen yards out, Ye Chen followed with his orderly line of wraiths, keeping his pace steady to avoid disrupting the aggro.

Leng Yueshuang reached the front of the magic circle quickly. The few ghouls closest to her were already within range. She paused, steadied her bronze hand crossbow, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

*Whoosh.* A bolt flew straight toward the lead ghoul.

-615 (Critical Hit!). The arrow, no longer than a palm, had pierced accurately into the ghoul’s crimson eyeball!

"Heh, this woman has impressive skills. Not many thieves can pull that off."

Hearing the appraisal from 2058, Ye Chen’s gaze narrowed. The title of Tunyun City’s top thief was indeed well-earned. Hitting a monster’s vital spot increased the chance of a critical hit—something many thieves and archers practicing with ranged crossbows attempted, but few truly mastered.

A blood-red damage number floated above the ghoul. Though the damage wasn't high, the intense pain in its eye sent it into a frenzy. It roared and charged toward Leng Yueshuang. Triggered by its roar, several surrounding ghouls also broke away from the magic circle, rushing toward her.

It wasn't enough. Only five had moved; the gap wasn't wide enough for the wraiths to charge in without pulling more monsters.

Just as Ye Chen thought she would have to shake off the current group before luring more, Leng Yueshuang ignored the five ghouls closing in on her and, with steady focus, fired two more bolts.

-315, -326

While she didn't land another eye-shot, her choice of targets was impeccable. She had hit the two monsters at the very center of the flanks, ensuring that the surrounding ghouls would follow them. To maintain such judgment under pressure was truly remarkable.

However, the next moment made Ye Chen break into a cold sweat. After she fired those two shots, the first five ghouls were already upon her, lunging with feral screeches.

Backflip, slide, side-step—in a flurry of movement, the ghouls failed to touch even a thread of the thief's clothing.

What masterful footwork!

"The gap is open! It's your turn now; I'll lure the rest away as fast as I can!" Leng Yueshuang shouted. The addition of the other two groups forced her to abandon her spot and sprint away from the perimeter.

Time was of the essence. Ye Chen didn't hesitate, commanding his twenty-four wraiths to charge toward the center of the magic circle, where the Blazing Sword Spirit stood.

"Sword, come."

With a low roar, the flames enveloping the Blazing Sword Spirit surged, and a longsword made entirely of fire manifested in its hand.

It’s a Magic Sword! It really is a Magic Sword!

Ye Chen’s heart skipped a beat. This blade was identical to the one he summoned, the only difference being the color of the flames. His own magic sword burned with black fire, owing to his dark-aligned class.

The Hall of the Sword Demon—this was truly the Hall of the Sword Demon. That wretched lich was merely a squatter; the secret of the Sword Demon was hidden here.

Filled with wild joy, Ye Chen remained cautious. Leng Yueshuang couldn't see the Sword Spirit's stats, but 2058 had described them clearly: a Level 60 spirit-grade humanoid monster, master of numerous devastating sword-demon techniques. It could one-shot a fragile class like him in his silver-tier gear without effort. He signaled his wraiths to swarm the Blazing Sword Spirit.

Expecting twenty-four weakened leader-tier wraiths to kill a Level 60 spirit-grade humanoid was unrealistic, but that wasn't Ye Chen’s intent. He only needed them to stall the Sword Spirit for a short while.

"Nine Slashes of the Magic Sword: Draw-Sword Slash!"

The Sword Spirit growled, executing a sweeping draw-slash motion. The flaming magic sword struck the three leading wraith pilgrims squarely.

-18,500 (Critical Hit!)

"God, that's monstrous!"

Leng Yueshuang, while luring the monsters, caught a glimpse of the terrifying sight. Even with her experience, she shuddered, her footing faltering just enough that a ghoul nearly lunged at her. She barely managed to dodge with a desperate roll.

Ye Chen’s heart hammered as well. A Level 60 spirit-grade monster was no joke. If not for these leader-tier wraiths acting as a meat shield, he would have been one-shotted by that single strike.

"Haha, foolish mortals! Have you seen the power of my little treasure? Give up your futile struggles. Your pathetic little wraiths are no match for it!" The lich on the black crystal throne had been watching the spectacle with smug laughter. As a semi-god-tier entity, it was no surprise it possessed such intelligence.

"Calling it a 'little treasure'—so disgusting," Leng Yueshuang muttered in the party chat, still running for her life from over thirty monsters.

Ye Chen had no time to respond. The wraiths wouldn't last long, so he had to hurry. Seeing that the ghouls near the magic circle had been drawn away, he rushed to the slots around the circle and began inserting the soul crystals.

*Click.* The first soul crystal was set into the purple slot.

"Ding! The Spirit-Locking Blood Array is preparing to activate. Completion: 10%. Once finished, it will seal the Blazing Sword Spirit."

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Little human dark priest, you have some cleverness in you, knowing how to activate the Spirit-Locking Blood Array. You’d better hurry then. Try to activate it before my little treasure finishes off your wraiths, or you shall die a miserable death. But even if you do activate it, you cannot escape your fate. I shall personally end you and turn your corpse into my new toy!" The lich shrieked from its throne, showing no sign of anxiety. As a semi-spirit creature with over a million HP, it certainly had the right to look down on players.

"Is your secret manual just to trap this Blazing Sword Spirit? Even if trapping a Level 60 spirit-grade creature is impressive, I have to say, it doesn't help much with the mission. We’re still no match for that lich," Leng Yueshuang said in the party chat, using her agile footwork to slow down the horde behind her.

"Just wait and see," Ye Chen replied, quickly placing the remaining crystals.

Second, third, fourth...

*Click.* The tenth crystal was inserted just before the twenty-fourth wraith was annihilated.

"Ding! The Spirit-Locking Blood Array is officially active."

*Hummmm...*

Arm-thick ribbons of blood-red light erupted from the magic circle, binding the Blazing Sword Spirit in place.

"Hahaha! It seems you are impatient to become my new toy. Come, I give you the chance to attack me. I shall let you feel..." The lich, Trist, stood slowly from the crystal throne, but halfway through his sentence, he choked as if his throat had been grabbed. The semi-spirit creature’s eyes widened in sheer terror, and he shrieked in disbelief, "No! Impossible! That is a lost magic—how could you possibly possess it!?"

In the center of the hall, within the magic circle, Ye Chen stood holding a magic sword wreathed in black flames, thrusting it straight toward the forehead of the Blazing Sword Spirit.