Volume One, Chapter 12: A String of Instant Victories, Cheng Muqing Faces Danger!
Lin Yi made his decision without hesitation. “We can’t let these eight Skeleton Knights charge!”
“Otherwise, they’ll become a serious nuisance.”
“Intruders, prepare to die!”
The Skeleton Knights lowered their jaws and uttered an indistinct growl before charging forward with terrifying speed.
But Lin Yi was faster still.
“Swamp Domain!”
Whoosh!
A dense green light swept across the ground and struck the area beneath the eight Skeleton Knights.
In an instant, the earth within a fifty-meter radius transformed into a bubbling quagmire.
Glug!
The swamp clearly could not bear the weight of the Skeleton Knights. Their charging formation collapsed at once as their skeletal steeds sank into the mire.
A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Yi’s face. The newly unlocked Swamp Domain was truly astonishing.
Without wasting a moment, he gave his staff a light wave.
Thick arcs of lightning flashed through the air and struck the struggling Skeleton Knights.
Crackle!
The damage far exceeded anything he had dealt before. Lightning magic possessed a natural advantage against undead creatures.
-3965!
-4173!
-4051!
-4227!
…
Damage numbers continued to leap into view, and Bai Jia’s eyes widened.
That single round of attacks had dealt more than twenty thousand points of damage in total!
It was simply unbelievable.
Watching the Skeleton Knights struggle in the mire, Bai Jia felt somewhat dazed. What kind of Swamp Domain was this?
Not only was its range astonishingly broad, but its duration was also remarkably long.
She gazed at Lin Yi’s calm back and seemed to witness the birth of a god of magic.
“Fireball!”
“Ice Arrow!”
Lin Yi did not pause, alternating between single-target spells to maintain his assault.
An ice crystal arrow struck its target dead-on and instantly slew a Skeleton Knight.
Although the Fireball dealt slightly less damage, it did not affect the overall situation.
The cooldown of Arc Shock had ended.
Crackle!
Lightning flickered through the air. The pale bones could not withstand such a violent thunderous assault.
Large damage numbers continued to appear.
-3861!
-3613!
-3972!
…
Two Arc Shocks completely annihilated all the Skeleton Knights.
Even Lin Yi himself was astonished by the power of combining Swamp Domain with Arc Shock.
[You killed a level 15 Skeleton Knight and gained 873 experience!]
[You killed a level 15 Skeleton Knight and gained 912 experience!]
[…]
The eight Skeleton Knights alone were enough to fill Lin Yi’s level-ten experience bar.
In fact, the excess experience overflowed by quite a bit.
“Whew, that was exhilarating!”
Lin Yi felt a surge of satisfaction, followed by a faint pang of regret.
After reaching level ten, unless one advanced into an Iron-ranked class, killing monsters would no longer grant any experience.
This rule existed to prevent people from continuing to farm experience in low-level areas.
There was no time to return and purchase an Advancement Orb now. What if someone else reached it first?
“Well, if it’s wasted, then so be it. At least killing monsters can still yield treasure.”
“If a monster happens to drop an Iron Orb, that would be perfect!”
Lin Yi walked toward the remains of the Skeleton Knights. One piece of Iron-ranked equipment gleamed among them.
[Skeleton Spear]
Grade: Iron
Attribute: Attack Power +35
Delight flickered in Lin Yi’s eyes. “As expected of a dungeon realm. Even ordinary monsters can drop Iron-ranked equipment.”
This Skeleton Spear was worth at least five hundred thousand.
Since Lin Yi’s backpack was nearly full, he handed it to Bai Jia for safekeeping.
Although Bai Jia could not contribute much in battle, she was an extremely reliable portable storage chest.
The two of them continued deeper into the forest.
The Ghostflame Woods were gloomy and terrifying, but in Lin Yi’s eyes, they seemed to be filled with treasure at every turn.
“Swamp Domain!”
“Arc Shock!”
The combination of area control and area damage was practically unstoppable.
The powerful level-fifteen monsters had no chance to fight back against such an assault.
Bai Jia was dazzled by the spectacle. The young man before her was frighteningly powerful.
Lin Yi cleared two more waves of Skeleton Knights.
He had a feeling that this expedition’s spoils might be worth more than ten million.
“Keep moving!”
Lin Yi led Bai Jia onward, harvesting three consecutive waves of Skeleton Knights.
They reached the center of the forest and slowly approached the mysterious altar.
Lin Yi could sense the dark elemental energy floating through the air growing denser by the moment.
“Miss! You need to leave first!”
A shout from the distance drew Lin Yi’s attention.
“Another group of people? Could they be fighting the dungeon lord?”
“Let’s go and see what’s happening.”
Lin Yi made his decision. Bai Jia followed close behind as they quietly crept toward the source of the voice.
…
Elsewhere, the moment Cheng Muqing entered the dungeon realm, she found herself surrounded by a group of Skeleton Knights.
To make matters worse, a demon mage named Cassio was nearby as well.
Even though the five-person team she led was exceptionally powerful, they had fallen into a desperate situation.
Under the relentless barrage of spells, her companions fell one after another.
At the critical moment, Cheng Muqing reacted swiftly and pulled out a Random Teleportation Talisman.
Grabbing Lei He, who was barely conscious, she escaped from that hellish battlefield.
Unfortunately, the talisman sent them directly into the middle of another group of Skeleton Knights, leaving them in grave danger.
Cheng Muqing was deeply unwilling to accept this. “Do we really have to use the Golden Teleportation Talisman?”
The Golden Teleportation Talisman could send them directly beyond the safety zone.
But fleeing in such a humiliating manner was something she found impossible to accept.
“Is there no other way?”
Her thoughts raced. Lei He was already near his limit, and time was running out.
At that moment of life and death, the corner of Cheng Muqing’s eye caught sight of two figures quietly approaching in the distance.
Their faces were indistinct in the darkness. All she could tell was that they were two adventurers.
“Adventurers from the other entrance. Perhaps we can cooperate!”
A spark of hope lit up in Cheng Muqing’s eyes, and she hurriedly called out, “You two, I’m Cheng Muqing of the Cheng Group in Jiangcheng.
“Please help us drive back these Skeleton Knights. You will be richly rewarded afterward!”
The moment she revealed her identity, her heart began to pound as she anxiously awaited their response.
“It’s her!”
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Yi’s eyes.
“Cheng Muqing, the prodigy from Donghai University in Jiangcheng!”
He had heard that she had awakened as a Holy Priest and possessed extremely powerful support abilities.
Lin Yi fell silent, considering whether to help.
After all, he was not the sort of man who lost all sense at the sight of a beautiful woman.
At that moment, Cheng Muqing’s plea grew even more urgent.
“Only by cooperating do we have any chance of making it through this dungeon realm.”
“Tell us what you need!”
Lin Yi knitted his brows, then suddenly asked, “Do you have an Iron Orb?”
Cheng Muqing hurriedly nodded. Lei He’s condition was deteriorating by the second.
She had no idea why the other party wanted an orb, but this was no time to negotiate terms.
“Yes! I can give it to you as soon as the battle ends!”
A secret delight stirred in Lin Yi’s heart. He had found what he needed without any effort at all.
There was no time to delay. He quickly made his decision.
“Fine! Have your companion retreat!”
Lin Yi immediately signaled Bai Jia to withdraw with the equipment bag.
With a thought, a ghostly green radiance rose from the staff in his hand.
Whoosh!
A streak of green light tore through the night sky and struck the ground beneath more than a dozen Skeleton Knights.
In an instant, the area transformed into a bubbling swamp.
Glug glug!
The Skeleton Knights, who had appeared so imposing only moments earlier, sank into the mire.
Lei He seized the opportunity and dashed back to Cheng Muqing’s side.
The two stared at the swamp, their eyes filled with astonishment.
“This… This is far too powerful, isn’t it?”
Yet the shock was far from over.
Mana surged through Lin Yi’s body. Thick arcs of lightning seemed to materialize from thin air and descended with pinpoint accuracy upon the Skeleton Knights.
Crackle!
In an instant, damage numbers began leaping wildly into view.
-3792!
-3918!
-3356!
-3547!
…
The lightning jumped between multiple targets, dealing more than forty thousand points of cumulative damage.
Cheng Muqing was utterly dumbfounded. She had never seen Arc Shock wielded with such overwhelming power.
Lin Yi’s magical feast continued.
“Fireball!”
“Ice Arrow!”
Wave after wave of high-damage skills bombarded the battlefield, leaving the two of them dazed.
Cheng Muqing even began to wonder whether these Skeleton Knights were fake.
Before long, Lin Yi’s Arc Shock was ready once more.
Crackle!
Terrifying bolts of lightning erupted again, wiping out nearly all the Skeleton Knights and leaving only a few clinging desperately to life.
Cheng Muqing was completely stunned.
Who exactly was this man?
Why was his skill cooldown so short?
“Don’t just stand there. They’re about to crawl out of the swamp. Go hold them back.”
With a warrior willing to charge into the fray, Lin Yi naturally had no need to fight personally.
Lei He shuddered into action and immediately rushed forward.
As the distance closed, Cheng Muqing finally got a clear look at the two men’s faces.
Her shock reached its peak.
“Lin Yi?! How could it be you?”