Chapter 684 – Legendary Priests
Nie Yan arrived at the base of the Holy Mountain. He headed toward the coordinates his subordinates reported. The bone dragon was spotted flying southwest.
The Thieves from Asskickers United were tailing Qin Han and Necromancer Vorderman. Several of them were killed by the latter after entering within 500 meters of the two. So, they no longer dared to approach too close, maintaining a distance of at least 1,000 meters.
Like this, it was impossible to get a good read on Qin Han’s exact location. They could only report the general direction he was heading.
As Nie Yan made his way forward, he bumped into several Thieves from Asskickers United.
“Boss!” the Thieves greeted excitedly.
“Where did that Necromancer go?” Nie Yan gazed into the distance. The forest up ahead was shrouded by a dense fog. It would be difficult to find a path forward.
“We lost track of those two around here, but that bone dragon is over there!” One of the Thieves pointed at the peak of the mountain.
Nie Yan gazed up at the top of the mountain. There, a black dot flew in the air before disappearing behind the peak.
“You guys can return to Calore,” Nie Yan said. All the monsters in the area up ahead were over Level 100. Since none of these Thieves had reached Level 100 yet, they would likely meet with danger if they headed any deeper. It was better to relieve them of their duties and let them get back to levelling instead.
“Understood! Boss, you be careful too.”
“Yeah, that Necromancer is dangerous!”
…
Hearing Nie Yan telling them to go back, the Thieves voiced their concerns. They understood they wouldn’t be of any help. Vorderman was too powerful.
Nie Yan entered stealth and dashed through the forest. After passing a swampy area, the Holy Stone in his inventory started glowing with a bright and gentle light.
Nie Yan’s heart trembled. There was a piece of the Tyrant Abak Set here!
Nie Yan looked around. All he saw was a dense forest shrouded by thick fog. He could hardly make out a thing. If he wanted to search for that piece of the Tyrant Abak Set, he would have to give up on pursuing Qin Han.
Qin Han was probably planning something major for him to abandon his skeleton army and come with Necromancer Vorderman here!
Thinking it over, Nie Yan recorded down the coordinates to this location. He would come back to look for the piece of the Tyrant Abak Set some other time.
Nie Yan set off at his fastest speed, flitting through the forest.
About 15 minutes later, Nie Yan arrived halfway up the mountain. He saw the enormous bone dragon in the sky. It looked like a small dot from this far away. It circled in the air for a moment before slowly descending into the fog covered summit.
Nie Yan knitted his brows. Why did the bone dragon land over there?
In the previous timeline, Nie Yan had visited the summit of the Holy Mountain. However, he did so only after the Vengeance of the Undead event concluded. He found nothing but ruins. Rumours had it that a shrine once stood there, but had been destroyed early on in the expansion.
Thinking to this point, Nie Yan’s eyes lit up in realization. Qin Han’s appearance here absolutely wasn’t a coincidence. He was probably plotting something huge! Despite knowing the great dangers involved, Nie Yan still decided to go over there for a look anyway.
Powerful Level 120–130 monsters, with many Elites and even the occasional Lord, walked the forests covering the mountainside. At this stage of the game, no players dared to come here. So, it was still unexplored.
Nie Yan carefully evaded the monsters in the vicinity. He encountered many corpses on the ground. The system hadn’t cleared them away yet. This signified they had only been recently killed.
Necromancer Vorderman was most likely the culprit.
There were signs of human activity around the shrubbery on the ground. Nie Yan followed the tracks. About half an hour later, he spotted a shrine towering over the fog in the distance. Standing about 10 meters high and covering a 1,000-meter wide area, it was majestic with a dazzling splendor.
Nie Yan was shocked. He didn’t expect to find such a grand shrine in the middle of the forest.
When Nie Yan came here in the previous timeline, it had long since turned into ruins. Even though it occupied quite a lot of space and one could vaguely make out the silhouette of a shrine, apart from a few roaming skeletons, there was pretty much nothing else. But now, this shrine emitted a powerful holy aura, blossoming out with a dazzling radiance.
As Nie Yan cautiously approached the shrine, he saw the bone dragon perched on top, digging its large, vice-like claws into the roof. It let out a loud cry. With every flap of its wings, the entire shrine shook. Segments of worked stone fell down, as the first signs of destruction started showing.
Nie Yan gazed inside the shrine. He saw several corpses collapsed near the entrance. Judging from their white robes, they were priests. It appeared they had died while trying to prevent an intruder from entering. He assumed Qin Han and Vorderman were already inside. Thinking for a moment, he entered and started making his way through a long corridor.
He passed by the corpses of many priests on the ground. The holy auras around their bodies had all but corroded away. They gave off a rotting smell as black blood oozed out of their wounds. Nie Yan’s heart sank. Did Vorderman do all this?
Nie Yan slowed his steps, taking great care not to be discovered. He buffed himself with several skills that increased his Stealth and Cloaking. Even though he knew these skills would have an extremely limited effect on Vorderman, there was no harm in a little added protection no matter how small. If he was discovered, he likely wouldn’t even have the chance to escape.
After passing through the corridor, Nie Yan arrived in a large hall. He spotted several silhouettes up ahead and could hear voices talking.
“Vile undead, the God of Light won’t forgive your crimes! Judgement will come, and you’ll forever be banished to the abyss of darkness!”
This voice was solemn and dignified. Following immediately after was a hoarse cackle.
“You fools, struggling obstinately even when death is near. Your god won’t come and save you! Hand over those items. If you become my servants, I’ll grant you eternal life!”
…
Nie Yan was puzzled. What was Vorderman looking for here of all places? Suddenly, he could feel violent magic fluctuations coming from the hall. Light and darkness were clashing fiercely. A stray shock wave of darkness energy flew out into the corridor, instantly shattering a nearby pillar which was large enough for two grown men to wrap their arms around its circumference.
Gale Step!
Nie Yan quickly retreated far away. With a loud crashing sound, the area he previously stood on was covered in a pile of rubble. His face slightly paled. These NPCs were too powerful! Even the aftershocks of their attacks could kill him. If he approached any closer, he would be putting his life at great risk. However, he was reluctant to leave just like that. Thinking for a bit, he activated the Web-Crawler Ring. He stuck to the wall and started making his way toward the hall. He had an Unknown Transfer Scroll in his hand, ready to crush it at the first sign of danger.
The battle in the center of the hall was reaching its climax. Necromancer Vorderman waved his staff. A tide of howling spirits surged forward. At the other end were three silver robed priests from the temple. They stood in a triangle formation and were supporting a white barrier. The priest at the front was the oldest among them, a dignified expression on his face. He was enshrouded in a strong holy aura. As for the two behind him, their appearances were hard to make out.
Qin Han stood off to the side in a corner. His face was hidden behind a cloak. So, it wasn’t possible to make out his expression.
Nie Yan crawled up to the ceiling. He looked down and gazed at the people below.
Vorderman and the three priests clashed fiercely, neither side backing down as magic flew out everywhere. As a result, they didn’t notice Nie Yan’s arrival.
The shrine shook violently. The bone dragon wanted to bring the whole place down. If the structure wasn’t protected by a strong holy power, it would’ve long since collapsed.
Nie Yan could feel cracks spreading out across the walls. This place was on the verge of collapse!
If the roof came down, the first person to be crushed to death would be him!
An ordinary person would’ve probably left already. However, Nie Yan was a daredevil. He believed those three priests wouldn’t be so easily killed. He could sense a strong, holy power coming from them, similar to that of Battle Angel Kalenna.
Those three Priests were also legendary figures!
Nie Yan wanted to take advantage of this battle to fish up some benefits.
Vorderman was too powerful. As he waved his staff, a vortex of wraiths battered the barrier. Cracks started appearing. It was on the verge of shattering.
“You stubborn fools. Your pitiful resistance is futile. Submit to the darkness. Embrace it. Quietly accept your deaths!” Vorderman cackled madly. A whirlpool of darkness energy hovered around him, transforming into blooming, black lotus flowers.
A powerful darkness energy swept out. Nie Yan felt a little lightheaded. All strength was rapidly being sapped away from his body, as he nearly fell off the ceiling. His heart trembled. It was a mind-based crowd control magic!
Mind Immune!
Miss! The psychic wave swept over him.
At this moment, the wraiths rammed into the holy barrier. BANG! The membrane shattered into shards of light. The wraiths surged forward, swarming over the three priests.
This was the end.
Nie Yan knitted his brows. If those three priests fell, it was the signal for him to leave. He tightly clutched the Unknown Transfer Scroll in his hand.
