Chapter 96: Method of the Altar

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Method of the Altar

"Hey, wake up."

Watching the High Tier Demonized Commander approach step by step, Yu Zhun didn’t even have the thought of picking up his weapon. He simply fished out the half Jade Pendant from his pocket and dangled it in front of the man’s eyes.

The High Tier Demonized Commander’s movements came to an abrupt halt.

His aura became extremely unstable. Muffled sounds spilled from his mouth, seemingly struggling to form words after going so long without speaking.

"Nan... Nannan... is that Nannan..."

The stat panel that had just popped up instantly vanished, and the health bar above the High Tier Demonized Commander’s head disappeared along with it.

Yu Zhun looked at the man’s middle-aged face, realizing this was the biological father of the old woman who had been missing for decades. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to call him "Sir" or "Grandpa."

"Man, your daughter is still alive." Salas, standing to the side, made the decision for him. "Snap out of it!"

Hearing that his daughter was still alive, the High Tier Demonized Commander’s aura grew even more erratic. Streaks of crimson Demonic Qi surged from his body, the Demon Patterns on his skin subsequently fading. The madness in his eyes gradually gave way to clarity.

"Thank you... for telling me this good news." The High Tier Demonized Commander breathed heavily. "She’s still alive... That’s wonderful."

"Take it." Yu Zhun stepped forward and handed him the Jade Pendant. "Since you’ve regained your senses, you should still have a chance to see her again."

"A chance to see her again..." The High Tier Demonized Commander carefully tucked the Jade Pendant away as if it were his most prized possession, but he shook his head slightly at Yu Zhun’s words.

"No. Even though I am lucid now, I cannot leave this place.

"Only by me standing guard here will those Demonized monsters be prevented from flooding into the tenth floor. If they are allowed inside, the consequences would be unimaginable," the High Tier Demonized Commander said, looking at Yu Zhun and the five people behind him. "Thank you so much for awakening me and bringing me such good news.

"However, going any further up is simply too dangerous. Please leave."

"That is exactly what we came for, so we can’t leave now," Yu Zhun said with a smile, shaking his head. "We came here to dispel the Red Moon and put this world back on the right track."

"Then again, if this world gets put back on the right track, won’t this special Dungeon disappear too?" Yu Zhun wondered. "Hmm... I hope not."

"To put this world back on the right track..." The High Tier Demonized Commander looked at Yu Zhun’s group with admiration. "In that case, I won’t try to persuade you otherwise.

"If you truly want to do this..." His voice paused slightly as he took a very ancient Sheepskin Scroll from his pocket. "This is the activation method for the altar on the tenth floor."

The moment they had been waiting for had arrived! Excitement simultaneously appeared on the faces of Yu Zhun and the others.

Going through all that trouble to escort the survivor to the [Small Town Ruins]—and even giving up the easily obtainable [Azure Pearl] to do so—wasn’t just to use a half Jade Pendant to dispel the High Tier Demonized Commander’s hostility.

The activation method for the altar was the most important thing.

If they had killed the High Tier Demonized Commander, the Sheepskin Scroll containing the altar’s activation method would have been destroyed along with him, making it unobtainable.

"We will put it to good use," Yu Zhun said earnestly as he accepted the Sheepskin Scroll. "I promise you."

"Thank you." The High Tier Demonized Commander smiled in gratification. He sat back down cross-legged in his original spot and returned to a state of dead silence.

Not far behind him, a staircase leading to the tenth floor appeared.

"Guild Leader, your guide didn’t seem to mention how to kill the Dungeon Boss," Ji Xiaoyu said, turning to look at Yu Zhun.

"Wait for me here. Leave the rest to me." A confident smile and a hint of anticipation graced Yu Zhun’s face.

He had never faced a Dungeon Boss with multiple lives before. He wondered whether it would take eight attacks to finish the opponent off, or just one.

Seeing Yu Zhun’s smile, Salas, Ji Xiaoyu, and the Su Family siblings all revealed excited expressions. Was the moment finally here? It was time for the Guild Leader’s solo show!

"Got it, Guild Leader."

STEP.

Yu Zhun stepped onto the first stair leading to the tenth floor.

Sheila gazed at Yu Zhun’s retreating back, then looked at Ji Xiaoyu.

"You want to ask why we’re so at ease letting the Guild Leader fight the Boss alone?" Ji Xiaoyu asked softly, uncharacteristically refraining from bickering with Sheila. "You’ll understand soon enough."

***

The ceiling of the Moon Inquiry Celestial Tower’s tenth floor was several times higher than the previous nine floors, resembling a grand hall.

In the center of the grand hall sat a square altar covered in crimson patterns.

Eight stone statues stood around the perimeter of the hall. These humanoid statues were incredibly towering, each standing dozens of meters tall. They had distinct poses and unique expressions that seemed to condense all the malice in the world. Just looking at them was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Upon Yu Zhun’s arrival, the eyes of the statue closest to him twitched. The instant its gaze shifted toward him, crimson light bloomed from its pupils.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

It stepped forward, looking down at Yu Zhun as a savage grin rapidly spread across its mouth.

[Red Moon Golem - Greed (Lv. 35)]

[Attributes:

Life: 1000000

Mana: 10000

Physical Attack: 15000

Magic Attack: 15000

Physical Defense: 7000

Magic Defense: 7000]

[Skill 1 (Golem): When Life Value reaches zero, randomly transfer to another Golem and restore full Life Value. The Red Moon Golem only has 2 skills, but can use the skills of the Golem it currently occupies.]

[Skill 2 (Lunar Eclipse): Every second, each Golem deals 10% Physical Damage and 10% Magic Damage to all players within range.]

[Golem Skill 1 (Theft): Reduce the Physical Attack and Magic Attack of the target with the highest combined Physical and Magic Attack within range by 90%, converting it into an equivalent increase for its own corresponding attributes.]

[Golem Skill 2 (Greed): Actively drop Life Value to zero. Subsequent Golems retain the attribute buffs gained from [Theft].]

Almost the instant the panel for Red Moon Golem - Greed popped up, Yu Zhun felt his Physical Attack—which exceeded ten thousand—plummet to just over a thousand.

"Your skills are... a bit cheap," Yu Zhun said helplessly as he drew [Nether’s Sigh]. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Yu Zhun."

Even as he spoke, Red Moon Golem - Greed had already extended a hand, slamming it down viciously toward him. A terrifying storm howled along with the Golem’s spread fingers. Under that giant palm and its horrifying momentum, Yu Zhun seemed as insignificant as a speck of dust.

"You really..." Yu Zhun sighed. His eyes abruptly sharpened, and [Nether’s Sigh] thrust upward at lightning speed, piercing toward the giant palm. "Interrupting someone’s self-introduction—you really deserve to die!"

[Life -1000000]

Red Moon Golem - Greed instantly shattered into pieces.

Yu Zhun rubbed his shoulder, suddenly sensing something, and looked not far away.

The second Golem had already awakened, but the gaze it fixed on Yu Zhun lacked any mockery or madness; instead, it held a trace of terror.

Yu Zhun slowly tightened his grip on [Nether’s Sigh] and smiled.

"It seems I won’t need to introduce myself eight times."