The two small mechanical spiders adjusted to their surroundings, turned around a few times, and then began crawling along the ground under Nie Yan’s command, their eight fuzzy legs swinging in a coordinated and rhythmic manner.
One of the mechanical spiders moved relatively quickly, while the other was slightly slower, creating a distance of approximately two yards between them.
The faster spider soon approached the treasure chest, closing to within about one yard, and began scanning the ground for signs of traps.
Nie Yan patiently waited. After a while, the Golden Earth Dragon appeared at the distant tunnel entrance and started walking toward this area.
The half-demon Angud stood guard at the cave entrance. He didn’t eliminate the Golden Earth Dragon, allowing it to survive.
To Angud, the Golden Earth Dragon was merely an insignificant ant, unworthy of his attention. His sole target was the Scythe of Death in Nie Yan’s possession.
After a while, the Shadow Assassin also returned. Only the paladin Lavers had died earlier for blocking Angud’s path.
Nie Yan recalled the Golden Earth Dragon. It was too large and conspicuous, making it easy to detect. Moreover, from this point onward, the cave became extremely narrow, and something as massive as the Golden Earth Dragon wouldn’t be able to enter. As for the Shadow Assassin, he decided to keep it around for now. His gaze turned toward the chest.
Approximately one minute later, there was a loud “boom,” and the faster spider was blown away. Though the explosion wasn’t particularly shocking in sound, its power was formidable.
It must have triggered a trap!
After a while, the area quieted down, with scattered parts lying on the ground.
Something seemed to emerge from the cave. Nie Yan activated his stealth and hid behind a pile of rubble. He saw a group of specters drifting toward him, floating midair. Their appearances were indistinct, but their bright red eyes stood out prominently. They wandered around the treasure chest briefly but found nothing and drifted back into the cave depths.
A group of level 200 specters! Seven in total, one of which was an elite!
This was actually a level 200 map. Normally, if Nie Yan had accidentally entered such a map, he would have immediately turned around and fled. Level 200 monsters were not ordinary creatures; their power was absurdly overwhelming.
They lacked consciousness, attacking and killing indiscriminately. They were elusive, making them extremely difficult for ordinary players to detect. They were fearsome creatures not to be provoked!
Yet, leaving such a treasure chest untouched felt unbearable for Nie Yan.
After some thought, he continued maneuvering the other mechanical spider forward to disarm traps. It crawled around the legendary treasure chest for a while without triggering any traps, indicating that the area around the chest was safe.
The Random Teleport Scroll was now usable, allowing him to leave anytime.
However, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon this treasure chest!
After a moment of silence, he set up a teleportation point here, ensuring he could return whenever needed.
He decided to try opening the legendary treasure chest. Activating his stealth, Nie Yan slowly approached the chest. As he drew closer, only about three yards away, he held his breath and crept silently to the chest’s side, crouching down.
This legendary treasure chest wasn’t large but was finely crafted, with even the metal trimmings meticulously detailed. Though it appeared ancient, covered in thick dust, wiping it clean revealed a shiny, brand-new metallic surface.
A small lock, about the size of a thumb, hung on the chest’s edge. It looked extremely intricate, and opening it would likely take considerable time.
Opening this chest might attract those specters!
After a moment’s consideration, he decided to give it a try.
Nie Yan lowered his head and began picking the lock.
System: Opening the treasure chest. Completion: 1%… 2%… 3%…
Time passed exceptionally slowly. This lock was a goblin creation from the Dark Age, highly complex. Without the Lockpicking Expert skill, ordinary players wouldn’t even be able to open it.
After about fifty seconds, the chest was only 55% open. The opening process was taking far too long!
Just then, several sharp shrieks pierced the air, nearly penetrating Nie Yan’s eardrums.
Not good, they were coming!
Nie Yan spotted a group of specters drifting toward him from a distance. Upon detecting Nie Yan’s presence, they entered a frenzied state. Like bloodthirsty demons, they sought to devour any living being they sensed.
Feeling the specters drawing closer, Nie Yan quickly commanded the Shadow Assassin to intercept them.
The Shadow Assassin blocked the specters’ path, swung his right hand, and unleashed a Devastating Slash, sending ten massive sword beams slashing down from the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Several explosions erupted, kicking up a storm of dust.
Unexpectedly, the specters weren’t instantly killed. The one with the lowest health still had nearly six million hit points. Considering they were ordinary monsters, the elite’s health was unimaginable.
The specters frenziedly lunged at the Shadow Assassin, their sharp claws slashing down. Several hits landed squarely on the Shadow Assassin.
A system notification sound rang out. Nie Yan glanced at it and found that the Shadow Assassin had been eliminated!
Nie Yan checked the progress: 89%. Just a little longer!
However, the specters were already closing in, only two or three yards away.
Damn it! Nie Yan cursed inwardly, forced to grit his teeth and leap away in pain.
The specters lunged toward Nie Yan. One of them reached his front, and Nie Yan swung his dagger, thrusting it downward.
He was about to land a hit when he suddenly noticed his attack missed. The specter in front of him vanished abruptly.
With a thud, Nie Yan suddenly took a blow to his back, a damage number of over seventeen thousand floating above his head.
He needed to escape quickly! Nie Yan moved his right hand, revealing a Random Teleport Scroll in his palm, preparing to crush it. Suddenly, his mind became hazy, and a figure appeared before him. Dressed in a white Holy Words robe, she resembled a goddess, her purity making her seem untouchable. A faint smile graced her lips, captivatingly enchanting.
“Xie Yao, why are you here?” Nie Yan asked in confusion. As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong—it was an illusion!
Ghost-induced hallucination! How could he have forgotten about that!
Some specters possessed special innate abilities, capable of inducing hallucinations during battle. The illusions from ordinary specters were easy to evade and detect. Yet this powerful hallucination made Nie Yan feel as if he were in reality. This was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon!
His mind somewhat controlled, Nie Yan was about to focus and dispel the illusion when he heard two more thuds. Two specters had struck him again. With a bang, Nie Yan collapsed to the ground.
Their attacks were too fierce! Nie Yan couldn’t withstand their damage!
Seeing Nie Yan lying on the ground, the specters searched around briefly but found no other intruders. They resumed their wandering state and returned to the cave depths along their original path.
Who knows how long passed before Nie Yan’s fingers regained some sensation. The icy feeling on his face gradually brought him back to consciousness. He quickly got up, ready to evade any attacks, only to find the surroundings empty and the specters nowhere to be seen.
Nie Yan exhaled deeply, checking his health. It was down to just a few dozen points. He needed to find a place to recover his health quickly. The Scythe of Death, the Paternoster Hammer, and the Chapter of Order were scattered on the ground. He quickly picked them up and moved to a corner of the cave, hiding behind some rocks. Sitting down, he began restoring his health.
After his class change into a Holy Shadow Dancer, Nie Yan gained a skill called Resurrection, granting him one chance to revive upon death, with a cooldown of two natural days.
Up until now, Nie Yan hadn’t needed to use this skill because he hadn’t died since acquiring it. Today, however, he had fallen to these specters’ hallucinations. Fortunately, these specters were mindless creatures and wouldn’t loot players’ dropped equipment.
Checking his experience points, he found he had lost nearly 10%, a relatively mild penalty, which was fortunate under the circumstances.
Soon, his health was fully restored.
Nie Yan stood up, glancing toward the treasure chest. He needed to find a special method to open it!
A legendary treasure chest appearing on a level 200 map was an enormous temptation!
Estimating the time, Nie Yan calculated that he would need at least ninety seconds to open the legendary treasure chest. However, those specters would return within a minute upon detecting any disturbance outside. It was impossible for him to open the chest completely undetected!
The earlier passage was quite narrow, making it impossible for the Golden Earth Dragon to enter. The only creature capable of entering was the Shadow Assassin, who couldn’t last even half a minute—surviving for just a dozen seconds was already the limit. The specters’ hallucinations were just too strong!
Under these circumstances, opening the chest seemed nearly impossible. He was so close, yet those final dozen seconds left him deeply troubled.
Nie Yan felt at a loss. It seemed this treasure chest couldn’t be obtained for now. In the short term, no other players would likely beat him to it. After all, he had already set up a teleportation point. He could come back later once he figured out a solution, Nie Yan thought resignedly.
Nie Yan consecutively used several Random Teleport Scrolls, arriving at a desert. He wasn’t sure where exactly he was. The half-demon Angud probably wouldn’t let him off easily. What method could he use to deal with that guy? Even if he couldn’t defeat him, he at least needed to find a way to evade him. Being chased by a level 180 demonic Overlord wasn’t something anyone could feel at ease about.
After a moment of contemplation, Nie Yan noticed the directional teleportation skill of the Abak Set. A thought flashed through his mind—he had a plan!
Without hesitation, Nie Yan began preparations in earnest, summoning the Darkwing Dragon, leaping onto it, and riding it as he flew rapidly in the southeast direction.
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