As my thoughts drifted away in a daze, the headless body of the Twin-Headed King of Darkness suddenly began to pulse with an eerie, faint blue light. Then, as if melting ice and snow, it dissolved into a scattering of cyan light fragments drifting everywhere.
Ah!
What was happening!
The strange sight before my eyes shocked me completely!
That mountain-sized form vanished in the blink of an eye.
Yet, on the ground, several glittering crystals remained behind.
They were the same size as the luminous crystals left by the Dark Woma Patriarch after his demise in the First Gate.
However, the crystals left by the Dark Woma Patriarch were dark green, seven in total, while the ones left by the Twin-Headed King of Darkness were emerald green, equally sparkling and translucent.
They were so beautiful one couldn't bear to let go of them upon sight.
I quickly gathered them up.
Neither more nor less, exactly seven!
What on earth were these things!
Could they be a specialty product of the Dark Creatures!
The Dark Woma Patriarch left seven after death, and now the Twin-Headed King of Darkness also left seven after his!
Though I didn't know what these things were, since they dropped from these major BOSSes, they certainly weren't ordinary items! Perhaps they would prove incredibly useful later on.
With that thought, I hurriedly stored the seven glowing emerald crystals in my spatial pouch.
After a brief rest, I stepped into the massive teleportation array.
Facts unfolded just as I had predicted!
Guarding the Third Gate was indeed a demonic beast from the Dark Temple, and the guardian of this third stage was the Twin-Headed Blood Demon of Darkness.
However, this creature's strength was comparable to that of the Twin-Headed King of Darkness, and having learned from the previous two challenges, dealing with it didn't take much time. Furthermore, the method used to kill it was the same as the one used for the Twin-Headed King of Darkness: utilizing a speed far surpassing its own to pierce its eyes, then channeling Dou Qi energy into its cranial cavity, and finally, blowing its head apart.
Less than five minutes elapsed from start to finish—it was child's play.
It seemed that no matter how difficult a task, once the right method was found, it could be resolved easily.
Just like the previous two foes who were slain, the corpse of the Twin-Headed Blood Demon of Darkness vanished eerily, leaving behind seven sparkling, crystal-clear red luminous crystals.
I wasn't surprised by this occurrence.
Quickly stashing the crystals into my spatial pouch, I pushed on toward the Fourth Gate.
The guardian of the Fourth Gate was the Iris Demon Patriarch of Darkness.
Admittedly, this fellow was harder to deal with than the Twin-Headed King of Darkness and the Twin-Headed Blood Demon.
Its speed, strength, and defense were all more terrifying than those of the Twin-Headed Blood Demon and the Twin-Headed King of Darkness. It was a relatively comprehensive type of monster!
Yet, its speed was still a huge gap behind the Dark Woma Patriarch!
Similarly, its speed couldn't keep up with mine, and since I had already mastered the method for dealing with these monsters, dispatching the Iris Demon Patriarch of Darkness didn't take much time either.
It was easily felled in ten minutes.
As expected, after the Iris Demon Patriarch was killed, it also left behind seven strange, glowing crystals, only this time their color was a vibrant blue-purple.
Without wasting much time, I plunged into the Fifth Gate!
It was another surprisingly large hall!
The guardian was a red skeleton perpetually wielding a massive, three-pronged water-splitting trident.
Although I had never seen this creature before, I recognized it instantly as the legendary Skeleton Spirit.
But the one appearing in the Fifth Gate was naturally no ordinary Skeleton Spirit, but the powerful Dark Skeleton Spirit.
Dealing with this guy cost me quite a bit of effort! Its strength, defense, and speed were absolutely top-tier!
Moreover, its three-pronged water-splitting trident seemed to carry intense lightning-elemental magic! Every strike unleashed bursts of strange electrical arcs.
Fortunately, as one possessing the Demon-Devouring Body, I was barely affected!
What truly gave me a headache was its defense! This creature was nothing but bones all over! There were no nerves or muscles whatsoever!
I tried the old trick, sending Dou Qi energy into its eye sockets, but I couldn't blow its head apart at all!
After a prolonged siege without success, I was nearly caught by its counterattack! Fortunately, my speed wasn't slow, allowing me to narrowly escape!
Facing a monster with seemingly no weaknesses whatsoever, I started to feel overwhelmed.
Resorting to my old strategy out of necessity! The final cost was my treasured fencing saber turning into fragments in my hand.
And the Dark Skeleton Spirit was also blasted into a pile of shards by me.
Just like the previous ones, after the Dark Skeleton Spirit was slain, it left behind seven dark-red luminous crystals.
In addition, it also left the pair of three-pronged water-splitting tridents that the Dark Skeleton Spirit had wielded.
This was a windfall for me! Something lost is quickly replaced by something new! I was just fretting over my fencing saber being shattered into pieces. Now, this three-pronged water-splitting trident could be put to use. Although it was a bit large, my strength had increased significantly, and lifting it felt in no way heavy.
To my astonishment, I couldn't tell what material this trident was forged from. It was incredibly sturdy; I was certain that in terms of sheer strength, this trident was no inferior to my former Dragon Shadow Sword; even if I fully unleashed the strange Dou Qi energy within me and channeled it in, it couldn't be shaken apart.
This discovery filled me with wild delight. Damn it! I finally found a decent weapon!
However, carrying a pair of such large tridents with my frame looked awkward, so I simply stored the other trident in my spatial pouch, using only one. Even if it looked somewhat unconventional, practicality was what mattered!
With a weapon in hand, my courage surged! I then stepped confidently into the next gate!
The Sixth Gate, guarded by the Yellow Springs Patriarch of Darkness! His strength was a full tier above the Dark Skeleton Spirit! His offensive power, defense, raw strength, and combat skills were all outstanding! Especially his offensive power—he was definitely the most terrifying guy I had ever encountered! Every swing of that massive hammer shook the entire hall as if it were about to collapse. Where it struck became a disaster scene akin to a meteorite impact. If not for my swift speed combined with the monstrous defense provided by the Nine Dragons Aegis, the very storm of flying gravel and debris might have pulverized me!
Perhaps his only weakness was his speed. Actually, strictly speaking, the Yellow Springs Patriarch of Darkness wasn't slow; it was just that my speed was too overwhelming! This ensured he could never land a hit on me.
I still employed the old tactic: using my astonishing speed and agile footwork to make the Yellow Springs Patriarch of Darkness spin around helplessly. Then, seizing an opportunity, I delivered another precise strike to his weak point. The trident accurately pierced the Patriarch's eye socket, followed by blasting its head to pieces.
The slain Yellow Springs Patriarch of Darkness left behind seven golden luminous crystals, in addition to a giant hammer! I unceremoniously added that to my spatial pouch as well!
This stage was moderately difficult. Strictly speaking, apart from the Dark Woma Patriarch in the First Gate, none of the other five monsters could even scratch me. I could only wonder about the strength of the final guardian, the Bull Demon King of Darkness!
When the hazy light of the teleportation magic faded away!
What greeted my eyes was still a vast, open hall! In the center stood a golden magic array, very similar to the barrier set up by the Dark Woma Patriarch. Within the barrier, a majestic physique stood quietly, like a statue! A pair of curved, sharp horns sprouted from its massive head. Blood-red ox eyes, large nostrils, and a golden bronze ring dangling from its nose! Coupled with its five-meter-tall frame, the gleaming great saber standing straight beside it, and the golden heavy armor covering nearly its entire body, the sight was profoundly imposing.
This must be the Bull Demon King of Darkness!
I instinctively gauged the surrounding aura! This was a habit cultivated over a long time! Facing an unknown opponent, I always favored a cautious approach, judging strength through aura! A sharp killing intent, like a raging, scorching flame—ferocious and tyrannical, seemingly capable of incinerating everything!
What a terrifying aura; even when I first encountered the Dark Woma Patriarch, I didn't feel such a suffocating pressure! This powerful aura was no less potent than that of the little fellow by Washing Heart Lake (the Dark Red Moon Demon). Even before engaging, my intuition told me the opponent before me was absolutely the most terrifying foe I had ever faced.
As if he had been waiting a long time, the moment he saw me! Those large ox eyes flashed with a trace of frenzied, ecstatic brilliance! It caused my heart to tremble inexplicably! Those were demonic eyes brimming with lust and slaughter! Even I, who thought myself accustomed to great storms, was momentarily stunned by those scorching demonic eyes!
Roar!
Almost the instant my focus wavered! The entire hall seemed struck by lightning, vibrating with a deep hum! A phantom flashed! The robust figure, originally thirty meters away, appeared out of thin air five meters in front of me! The gleaming saber whipped up a streak of golden light, sweeping toward me like lightning.
Ah! Such strong blade energy! And mixed within it was a twisting, vibrating blue lightning bolt! It was a dual attack combining Dou Qi with magic! What surprised me even more was that ghostly speed! It was absolutely no less than the Dark Woma Patriarch's!
Hah! Almost instinctively! The Nine Dragons Aegis instantly activated, and I executed several rapid sidesteps to retreat quickly!
Whoosh!
That fiercely sweeping blade only connected with an afterimage! And I took advantage of the Dark Bull Demon King’s missed sweep! A sudden burst of acceleration sent the thick water-splitting trident flashing like lightning toward the Demon King's throat. Since obtaining the Dark Skeleton Spirit's trident, I no longer worried about the weapon failing under the strain of the strange Dou Qi energy within me, allowing me to use that energy without reservation. This lightning thrust was infused with dense Dou Qi energy, and due to its extremely unstable explosive nature, the trident emitted tearing shrieks, as if even the air was being ripped and burned apart.
Roar!
The Dark Bull Demon King roared again! Its five-meter-tall, robust body bent as if broken! It executed an incredibly exquisite Iron Bridge maneuver! It was hard to imagine such a massive and powerful body capable of such a technically advanced, high-difficulty move! My lightning thrust missed its mark! Moreover, due to the excessive speed and immense force, I couldn't stop my momentum; the entire person, trident and all, flew over the Dark Bull Demon King's head!
This sudden change in move was completely beyond my expectation! Almost the instant my attack missed, the Dark Bull Demon King’s gleaming saber suddenly flipped, transforming from a horizontal sweep into an upward slash! Incomparable fierce Dou Qi lashed out, sweeping toward my abdomen!
What a fast blade! What a fierce blade! What was even more unsettling was the flawless angle, speed, and force of the strike! This creature’s swordsmanship was absolutely at the level of a grandmaster! In just an instant, I realized that the Dark Bull Demon King before me perfectly synthesized the strengths of all the previous six monsters. It possessed a speed no less than the Dark Woma Patriarch, a terrifying strength comparable to the Yellow Springs Patriarch, and its armor clearly possessed defense just as superior as the Dark Skeleton Spirit's! Furthermore, this creature possessed combat skills and awareness unrivaled by the other six monsters! One could easily tell from this string of reactions and the exquisite blade techniques alone! It truly deserved to be the final guardian beast protecting the forbidden ground; it was overwhelmingly powerful!