Chapter 214: Black Hell

Nie Yan killed two more scale frogs when that strange sensation came over him again.

He could clearly feel that someone was trying to approach him.

When he turned around to look, the quiet jungle was completely empty.

As Nie Yan walked toward another scale frog, a sudden surge of intense magical energy erupted from behind him. A dark force descended upon him.

Weakened! Afflicted!

The curses were cast instantaneously, making them particularly terrifying. Without the proper potions or a priest or paladin to dispel or bless, being cursed could be extremely frustrating.

Nie Yan’s heart jolted. The attacker wasn’t a rogue, but a priest! A name immediately flashed through his mind—Hei Se Di Yu (Black Hell)!

It must have been the use of an invisibility potion!

Nie Yan glanced at his status. His attributes had dropped by 60%! The curse effects were extremely strong. A typical curse skill reducing a target’s attributes by around 20% was already impressive, but these two curses had stripped away 60% of his!

Before Nie Yan could turn invisible, a beam of light shot into the sky, spilling dazzling radiance.

Immediately, another marker appeared, exposing Nie Yan’s whereabouts without a trace.

Then came a bolt of shadowy magic, hurtling toward Nie Yan with incredible speed.

Dark Erosion was one of the most powerful spells of Shadow Priests, causing continuous damage and carrying strong curse effects.

Damn, this attack is brutal! Throwing out so many instant spells at once—his opponent was just too fast!

Nie Yan rolled aside, dodging the Shadow Priest’s Dark Erosion. With a loud crash, the spell struck a tree. The tree’s leaves instantly turned yellow and fell, its branches rapidly withering. The curse’s power caused the tree to decay in an instant.

Nie Yan glanced sideways. A Shadow Priest dressed in gray robes stood about thirty yards away, near a tree, waving his staff and quickly casting another spell.

Intense magical fluctuations briefly surged.

Before he could even land properly, a web descended from the sky, spreading toward Nie Yan.

This was a much larger and more durable web than the basic Spider Web spell Nie Yan had encountered before. It was clearly an advanced version.

This was a rare spell for magic users—Spider Web. Nie Yan’s basic Spider Web spell had been acquired through a scroll crafted by a mage.

Nie Yan activated Rapid Retreat, his speed skyrocketing like lightning as he dashed backward, leaping to evade the web.

The Spider Web spell fell, but failed to ensnare Nie Yan.

“Fast reflexes and speed,” Black Hell muttered calmly, acknowledging Nie Yan’s incredible swiftness. Even after being struck by his powerful curses, Nie Yan remained this fast. Recalling how effortlessly Nie Yan had bypassed Black卓越, it was no wonder even Dragon Taming couldn’t stop him.

If he hadn’t struck first, it would have been difficult to gain any advantage over Nie Yan.

Hei Se Di Yu (Black Hell) waved his staff and launched a Shadow Bolt toward Nie Yan.

Taking advantage of the brief opening after the Spider Web spell, Nie Yan drank a potion to remove his curses. Activating Shadowstep, he used nearby trees for cover, dodging the Shadow Bolt and quickly closing the distance with Hei Se Di Yu.

Even as Nie Yan used Shadowstep, Hei Se Di Yu could still clearly determine his position through the mark on him. He continued casting spells one after another.

But Nie Yan was just too fast. As he ran, Hei Se Di Yu could only catch glimpses of his afterimages through the gaps in the leaves.

Hei Se Di Yu calmly retreated, moving to an open clearing behind where no trees grew.

The clearing was about ten yards wide in each direction.

He and Hei Se Tian Tang (Black Heaven) had been following Nie Yan for a long time, waiting for the perfect terrain to strike. If he had attacked in the dense jungle and failed, Nie Yan could have easily eliminated him using the trees for cover. Thus, he had tracked Nie Yan for a long time, waiting until he found this open space to act.

He was always cautious. Even when confident, he always planned his escape route.

In fact, he was more accustomed to playing warriors. Though not particularly skilled with Shadow Priests, he still understood their mechanics well, having frequently fought against magic users.

“Let me see how strong you really are. Come on,” Hei Se Di Yu said, waving his staff to summon a shadow. Slowly taking shape in front of him, the shadow resembled a humanoid figure but lacked distinct features, just a dark silhouette.

Seeing Hei Se Di Yu’s action, Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat. This opponent was no simple foe to have access to shadows.

Shadows were summoned creatures of Shadow Priests, possessing decent attack and defense, serving as guardians for the priest.

Nie Yan swiftly entered the clearing and charged toward Hei Se Di Yu.

Hei Se Di Yu waved his staff again, casting a Slow curse on Nie Yan and quickly retreating, followed by a Shadow Bolt.

Nie Yan was hit by Slow, his movement hesitating slightly, just in time for the Shadow Bolt to strike.

Nie Yan activated Divine Descent from the Ten Holy Knights Medal, instantly removing the Slow effect and maximizing his speed. Without hesitation, he charged toward Hei Se Di Yu. The Shadow Bolt exploded on Nie Yan, but caused no damage or negative effects.

In an instant, Nie Yan was upon him like lightning. His dagger aimed for Hei Se Di Yu’s forehead in a stunning strike.

Nie Yan’s speed seemed even faster than in the video where he had defeated Hei Zhuo. Hei Se Di Yu was startled, his figure flickering as he waved his staff. The shadow moved in just in time to intercept.

Nie Yan couldn’t help but admire his opponent’s skill. In such a short time, Hei Se Di Yu had managed to position the shadow perfectly.

Nie Yan’s dagger struck the shadow, which tightly entangled him. The three-second Divine Descent from the Ten Holy Knights Medal quickly expired.

Shadow: Summoned creature, HP 1200/1200.

Nie Yan’s dagger pierced the shadow, slicing through with a Cleave attack.

The shadow’s HP dropped by over 500. As it attacked Nie Yan, he dodged, attempting to maneuver around it. Suddenly, a dark force tightly bound Nie Yan.

Shadow Bind!

Lasting only one second, in that brief moment, Hei Se Di Yu retreated about three yards. A brilliant beam of light enveloped him, his robe flaring, radiant as a descending god.

Waving his staff, radiant light blazed forth.

It was the Empower Blessing from the Scroll of Justice!

This ability enhanced all blessings and curses to extreme levels!

So he was finally revealing his trump card, Nie Yan thought grimly. Was he going to use Divine Judgment from the Scroll of Courage? If so, it meant he wouldn’t be able to use Divine Judgment again for ten days.

Hit by the shadow, Nie Yan took over 100 damage.

Dodging past the shadow, Nie Yan charged toward Hei Se Di Yu, who was preparing to cast another curse. Nie Yan now held a moderate Flash Powder. With a loud bang, the intense, blinding light pierced Hei Se Di Yu’s eyes like a sharp blade.

Hei Se Di Yu’s vision turned pitch black, losing sight completely.

Nie Yan rolled aside, dodging Hei Se Di Yu’s Weaken curse.

Under normal circumstances, Hei Se Di Yu’s powerful curses reduced opponents’ attributes by around 60%. With Empower Blessing enhancing them, the effects were even worse.

Despite being blinded by the Flash Powder, Hei Se Di Yu’s strong mental discipline kept him calm. He continued casting curses based on instinct, calmly taking out a potion to cure blindness.

His curses were terrifying. If Nie Yan was hit, his attributes would drop by at least 90%.

Even while blinded, Hei Se Di Yu’s actions remained swift. Curse after curse flew toward Nie Yan. More terrifyingly, his judgment was extremely accurate. If Nie Yan hesitated for even a moment, he would be struck by the curses.

Using Shadowstep, Nie Yan reached peak speed, dodging Hei Se Di Yu’s attacks and swiftly circling behind him. He struck Hei Se Di Yu’s head with a Pounce.

Fearful Screech!

Hei Se Di Yu’s throat vibrated, emitting an ear-piercing shriek.

Halfway through the Pounce, Nie Yan suddenly sensed something wrong, detecting an unusual tremor. It was Fearful Screech!

Fearful Screech was one of the most terrifying skills of Shadow Priests, a mind control spell. Many rogues had fallen to it because it was nearly impossible to defend against. With an extremely short cast time, if struck by Fearful Screech, the target would lose control of their body, allowing the Shadow Priest ample time to eliminate the rogue.

Nie Yan quickly activated Mental Immunity from the Murderous Maniac Medal. A sharp, piercing sound echoed in his mind, causing chaotic illusions. His movement halted, dagger suspended mid-air.

Fortunately, he had activated Mental Immunity before being fully controlled. The illusions faded, and Nie Yan’s dagger plunged into Hei Se Di Yu’s body.

However, the Pounce had already failed.

Nie Yan followed up with a Backstab and Rupture. Hei Se Di Yu’s HP dropped to a sliver, floating a series of Bleed and Poison damage.

Hei Se Di Yu waved his staff, casting Minor Heal, restoring a large portion of his HP. He quickly tried to flee.

Nie Yan pursued like a shadow, striking Hei Se Di Yu’s back with another critical hit. Finally, Hei Se Di Yu’s HP dropped to zero, and he collapsed to the ground.

Hei Se Di Yu was indeed a formidable opponent. Without several skills that countered him effectively, Nie Yan might not have defeated him.

“I won,” Nie Yan said calmly, bending down to pick up the Scroll of Justice and another piece of equipment dropped by Hei Se Di Yu—the Shadow Priest’s Robe of Shadows. He immediately claimed the Scroll of Justice for himself. After a moment’s thought, he decided to return the Robe of Shadows to Hei Se Di Yu.