Nie Yan entered the Sacred Mountains. According to the information reported by his subordinates, the Bone Dragon had flown toward the southwest of the Sacred Mountains.
Some thieves from the Bull Tribe had been following Qin Han. Those who approached within 500 yards of Qin Han were eliminated by the Lich, Bodman. They no longer dared to get close and kept a distance of at least 1,000 yards.
At such a distance, tracking Qin Han became extremely difficult. They could only determine the general direction in which he had gone.
Nie Yan followed the trail and met up with a few thieves from the Bull Tribe.
“Boss Nie Yan,” the thieves greeted him.
“Where did that Lich go?” Nie Yan looked toward a nearby area shrouded in thick white mist, making the terrain difficult to navigate.
“We lost track of him here, but the Bone Dragon is over there!” One thief pointed toward a distant mountaintop.
Looking from an area with less fog, they saw a small dark figure briefly pass over the mountaintop before vanishing beyond it.
“You guys can head back now,” Nie Yan told the thieves. The area ahead was filled with monsters over level 100. These thieves hadn’t reached level 100 yet and could face serious danger in the jungle. He decided it was best to send them back to train.
“Alright, Boss Nie Yan, be careful.”
Understanding they couldn’t help much against such a powerful Lich, the thieves expressed their concern before departing.
Nie Yan activated his stealth ability and swiftly moved through the jungle. As he crossed a muddy area, the Holy Stone in his accessory slot began to emit a soft white glow, warm and soothing.
Nie Yan’s heart raced. There was a piece of the Abak Set nearby!
He scanned his surroundings. The jungle was thick with white mist, making visibility extremely poor. If he were to search for the Abak Set component here, he would have to abandon his pursuit of Qin Han.
Qin Han had left his skeleton army behind and come here with Bodman. There must be something important going on!
After a moment of consideration, Nie Yan marked the location. He could come back later to search for the Abak Set component.
Nie Yan then activated his maximum speed and dashed forward.
More than ten minutes later, Nie Yan reached a mid-mountain area. In the distant sky, the massive Bone Dragon was barely visible. It circled briefly in the distance before slowly descending and disappearing into the thick clouds between the mountains.
Nie Yan furrowed his brows. What was the Bone Dragon doing landing there?
In his past life, Nie Yan had visited that area after the Undead Rebellion event. There was a ruined temple complex, said to have been destroyed during the Undead Rebellion expansion.
Realizing this, Nie Yan’s eyes narrowed. Qin Han’s presence here was no coincidence. He must be plotting something big. Despite the danger, Nie Yan decided to investigate.
This jungle was filled with monsters around level 120–130, many of them elites, with the occasional lord. Players of current levels would never dare to venture here, making it a relatively secret location.
Nie Yan carefully avoided the monsters. On the ground were fresh corpses, not yet respawned, indicating they had been killed recently.
These corpses were likely left behind by Qin Han.
There were signs of broken undergrowth. Following these traces, Nie Yan tracked for about half an hour before a towering temple emerged from the mist in the distance. The temple was dozens of yards high, covering an area of nearly a thousand yards in diameter. It was golden and magnificent, appearing extremely grand.
For a temple to be so magnificent in this dense jungle astonished Nie Yan.
In his past life, when Nie Yan had visited this place, it had already been a ruined wasteland. Though the area was vast, only the faint outline of the temple remained. Apart from wandering skeletons, there had been nothing else. Now, however, the temple radiated a powerful holy aura. Outside, flowers bloomed, making it appear like a sacred holy site.
Nie Yan stealthily approached the temple. A massive Bone Dragon stood at the temple’s peak, its enormous bony claws gripping the rooftop. It let out a deep roar, and each flap of its wings caused the entire temple to tremble, sending chunks of stone tumbling down.
Nie Yan peered inside the temple. At the entrance lay several corpses in white priestly robes—clearly priests of the temple. He guessed that Qin Han and the Lich Bodman had already entered. After a moment’s thought, Nie Yan stealthily moved inside, following the temple’s corridors deeper in.
Inside the temple, bodies lay strewn everywhere, a horrifying sight. Their light auras had been completely corrupted, and a foul stench emanated from them. Black, pus-filled blood oozed from their wounds. Nie Yan felt a chill—was this the work of Bodman?
Nie Yan slowed his pace, carefully hiding himself. He activated several skills to enhance his stealth, knowing they might not be very effective against Bodman, but better safe than sorry. If he encountered Bodman in the corridor, he doubted he would even have a chance to escape.
Moving slowly through the corridor, he soon reached a large hall. In the distance, he could make out a few figures and heard faint voices.
“Despicable demon, the God of Light will never forgive your sins. One day, you will be reduced to dust in the void, cast into eternal darkness!”
The voice was deep and solemn. It was followed by sharp, cackling laughter.
“Foolish believers, still so stubborn even as death approaches. Why doesn’t your God of Light come to save you? Surrender what you hold and become my servants. You shall attain immortality!”
A few more exchanges followed. Nie Yan looked puzzled. What exactly was Bodman searching for?
Suddenly, intense magical fluctuations erupted from the hall. Light and darkness violently clashed. A wave of dark, corrosive energy shot out from the hall, striking a nearby stone pillar near Nie Yan. The pillar, thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around, shattered instantly, sending massive stones crashing down.
Nie Yan quickly activated his Dash Step, swiftly moving away. With a thunderous crash, the spot where he had stood moments ago was buried beneath rubble. Nie Yan’s expression darkened. These NPCs were far too powerful for him to handle. Continuing forward meant risking his life. Yet, leaving without knowing more felt unsatisfying. After a moment’s thought, he activated his wall-climbing skill and edged closer to the hall along the stone wall. In his hand, he held a random teleport scroll—just in case things went wrong.
Inside the grand hall, the battle had reached its peak. Bodman waved his staff, summoning countless wailing ghosts that surged toward the front of the hall. There, three silver-robed High Priests stood in a triangular formation, maintaining a white barrier. The priest at the front was older, with a long white beard and a solemn expression, glowing with divine light. The other two behind were obscured from view.
In a corner of the hall, Qin Han, clad in black robes and hiding his face under a hood, remained expressionless.
Nie Yan had climbed to the top of the temple hall, clinging tightly to the wall, his eyes locked onto the figures below.
Bodman and the three priests were locked in fierce combat, exchanging powerful spells, neither side noticing Nie Yan’s presence.
The temple trembled violently, as if the Bone Dragon outside sought to tear it apart. Only the powerful holy enchantments protecting the temple prevented its destruction.
Nie Yan, clinging to the ceiling, could feel the walls cracking, as if collapse was imminent.
If it collapsed, he would be the first to suffer.
An ordinary person might have already retreated, but Nie Yan had an almost reckless sense of adventure. He gambled that the priests wouldn’t fall so easily. He could sense a powerful, pure holy force from them—similar to what he had felt from Karl.
Those priests were also legendary-level beings!
Nie Yan intended to take advantage of the battle between the priests and Bodman, hoping to gain something from the chaos.
Bodman was too powerful. With a wave of his staff, countless ghosts swirled around the white barrier, crashing into it. The barrier groaned, nearly shattering.
“Fools! Resistance is futile! Surrender to the power of darkness! Let it embrace you and return to silence and death!” Bodman cackled maniacally. A whirlwind of dark magic spiraled around him, blooming into dark lotus flowers.
A powerful wave of dark energy surged toward Nie Yan, causing his mind to waver. He felt his strength rapidly draining, nearly causing him to fall from the ceiling. He quickly activated his Mental Immunity skill. A large “MISS” floated above his head.
At that moment, countless ghosts surged toward the holy barrier, crashing into it with a deafening boom. The barrier shattered, and the ghosts poured toward the three priests at the center.
It was over!
Nie Yan furrowed his brow. If the priests couldn’t hold out, he would have to retreat immediately. The random teleport scroll was already tightly gripped in his hand.
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