The Secret Realm of Origin, the Trial Space.
The crimson tower bathed in moonlight, casting a distorted silhouette.
From the attic, a terrifying howl, like a wolf, could occasionally be heard.
This ancient castle sat deep in a pine forest shrouded in mist.
The castle once belonged to an elven family and was once known as the "Silver City."
At some unknown time, the noble elves became enslaved by vampires, frantically hunting the inhabitants of this land to satisfy their thirst for blood.
The pristine white castle, too, was stained a dark crimson by blood.
From the once revered "Silver City," it has transformed into the now hated and feared "Palace of the Dead."
The dense forest surrounding the Palace of the Dead has now become a paradise for the undead.
Ferocious ghouls roam the sunless woods.
From afar, the will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the night sky could easily be mistaken for lanterns.
Travelers passing through this area who mistake the will-o'-the-wisps for warm fireplaces and rush to stay overnight will fall victim to a deception.
"Anar!"
A beautiful girl with blue hair and blue eyes chanted a spell symbolizing "light," her fingertips gently stroking the oak cane.
The cane then shone with a golden glow, dispelling the surrounding darkness and chill.
The undead lurking in the darkness were also disturbed by the magical radiance, resembling the scorching sun, and fled in panic from the area illuminated by the "Daylight" spell.
Olivia, holding the Daylight cane, stood on a half-broken tree stump, gazing at the Palace of the Dead in the distance, her eyes solemn and thoughtful.
Behind her, three tents were pitched in the forest clearing.
A short-haired girl with a dark complexion and dressed in men's clothing scattered a circle of silver dust around the camp, chanting a spell.
When the circle of silver dust finally closed, an "anti-evil circle" was formed, enveloping the camp within a barrier.
The tomboy Avril casually wiped a sweat off her face.
The remaining silver dust on her hand accidentally smeared on her cheek, making her pretty face look a little funny.
"Senior Sister Olivia, the barrier to block the undead is ready. Come back and rest."
"Well, thank you for your hard work, Junior Sister Avril."
Olivia touched her cane, and the overly strong glow shrank to the size of a lantern.
Back at camp, Olivia casually stuck her cane into the ground, using it as a light source.
Opening her storage bag, she took out an obsidian-like crystal and held it close to the cane, examining it closely in the light.
Avril also came over, staring at the black crystal in Olivia's hand, and whispered, "The Black Magician has absorbed so much soul fire, it's almost saturated, right?"
"How could it be that easy? My Black Magician is only 60% charged, far from full," Olivia sighed.
"60% is good. Mine's less than 50%."
Avril smiled bitterly.
"At this rate, we'll have to spend at least two more weeks in this damn place before we complete the advancement quest."
A Black Magician is a magician with negative energy properties.
Among the various magician properties, Black Magician and Light Magician are the rarest and most expensive!
Necromancers favor this type of magician to aid their cultivation.
In addition, Black Magician has the magical ability to absorb souls.
After destroying an undead creature, hold the Black Magician near the remains or any remaining souls to absorb Soul Fire.
With each trace of Soul Fire absorbed, a pale vein appears within the pure black crystal.
The more powerful the undead creature, the more vigorous its Soul Fire, and the thicker the veins formed within the crystal after absorption.
When the Black Magician's interior is filled with strands of pale veins and can no longer absorb Soul Fire, it has reached saturation.
In the eyes of necromancers, a Soul Fire-saturated Black Magician is worth a hundred times more than an ordinary Black Magician!
Olivia and her two companions are natural magicians. They do not require the Black Magician for cultivation, nor do they enslave the souls of the dead.
The reason they ventured to the land of the undead to collect Soul Fire is to prepare for their bloodline advancement.
"We're hunting ghouls and will-o'-the-wisp here, but collecting soul fire is too inefficient. We need to hunt more powerful undead creatures."
Olivia pondered.
"Powerful undead... Senior Sister, from the Haunted Pines to the Palace of the Dead, the most powerful undead creatures are undoubtedly the Vampire Counts and the Crimson Mist Demons."
Avril took over.
"These two monsters are both level six. We definitely can't afford to offend them."
"Next up, we have the vampire elves of the Palace of the Dead. They're all descendants of the Vampire Counts."
"There are so many of them, and they're either skilled in martial arts or spellcasting. Their combat power is no less than level four. I'm afraid we three can't afford to offend them."
"In my opinion, it's better to proceed cautiously. Safety first!"
"We don't dare to enter the Palace of the Dead just by the three of us, so I plan to ask for help."
Olivia smiled slightly, her blue eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Vice Dean Tanya, and Julie and Flynn?"
Avril guessed.
Not long ago, she, Olivia, and Flora had teamed up with Tanya, Julie, and Flynn on an expedition to Evergarden, home to supernatural plants and fairies.
During the meeting, Avril was deeply impressed by the strength displayed by Tanya and the Griffin siblings.
Olivia shook her head.
"The three of them are busy with other things and can't spare the time. I invited another old friend, Alan Panthers."
"Huh?" Avril's expression changed. "It was him!"
"What? You look down on Alan?" Olivia's face darkened.
"No... Senior Sister, how dare I look down on your friend? I also deeply admire Senior Brother Alan's strength!"
"It's just... his reputation in the academy isn't very good."
Avril said weakly.
"I heard that Senior Brother Allen is a womanizer, lusting after women. He's been known to take on women from eighty to eight-year-old girls—anyone who's female can't escape his clutches..."
"You brought this demon here. I'm worried about my chastity!"
"Avril, where did you hear these ridiculous rumors?"
"Uh, so many people are saying that. Could it be true?"
"Well, let me put it this way. Except for the 'womanizer' part, everything else is bullshit!"
Olivia was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Alan and I are good friends. Honestly, he's a real womanizer, but he insists on mutual consent and has three principles: one, never cheat on friends, two, never cheat on naive girls, and three, never cheat on poor girls."
"Alan and I are close friends, like close buddies, so he wouldn't do anything to me."
"Besides, I'm not interested in men to begin with. I wouldn't fall for his tactics."
"As for you..."
Olivia glanced at Avril's chest, a hint of pity in her eyes.
"You're the type of innocent girl who doesn't understand romance. You can be assured that Avril isn't interested in you."
"Sister! Calling me naive is fine, but why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong with having small breasts? How can you rule the world without equal breasts?"
Avril crossed her arms over her chest, her face filled with shame and indignation.
"And what about Senior Sister Flora?"
"She's beautiful, has big breasts, is open about relationships, and is a carnivorous woman nicknamed 'The Piranha Plant.' Will she and Senior Brother Allen spark a passionate romance?"
"Flora, she falls into the third category I mentioned earlier."
Olivia sighed.
"To advance to the flower demon Ailaona, she spent all her fortune on various elixirs. She even had to borrow the magic stones she needed for her daily cultivation from me. She was so poor she almost pawned her underwear."
"That boy, Alan, is so greedy! He even asked the woman to pay for a fleeting affair. His value is higher than that of a famous prostitute."
"Even if Flora wanted to seek his pleasure, her empty wallet couldn't afford the cost."
"So, she's safe too."
"What wallet? Are you finally going to lend me money?!"
A surprised voice echoed from the woods.
A beautiful, queen-like woman with flowing blonde hair and a green dress trotted over.
"Which of you two can lend me a little money? I'm willing to give myself to you!"
Olivia immediately turned her head away, clutching her wallet.
"Senior Sister Flora, we were just talking about Senior Brother Allen."
"Senior Sister Olivia said he only gets intimate with women for money. How strange!"
Avril was skeptical.
"He's so self-righteous about living off women. Are you still a man?"
"Hey! He's a gigolo. He clearly states the price and provides services. He's not deceiving people or forcing them to buy or sell. It's consensual, so why can't he be self-righteous?"
Flora rolled her eyes at Avril, who was surprised by the news.
"Don't laugh at Junior Brother Allen. Honestly, he's the kind of man you'd spend all your money on!"
"Even though I'm broke and down and can't afford him now, I used to be a wealthy woman, chatting and drinking happily with Junior Brother Allen!"
Flora tossed her bright golden hair back and proudly puffed out her chest and held her head high.
Her beautiful face shone with pride, and she seemed to have become even more noble.
Avril was speechless.
Olivia whistled, teasingly saying, "I'm sorry."
"Flora, you have good taste!"
"Of course I did! When Junior-Brother Allen first started in this business, I saw he had great potential and generously supported his business."
"Now that he's famous, it would cost a thousand times more to date him, and you'd have to wait in line!"
"Now that I think about it, the money I spent on Junior-Brother Allen was the best value I've ever received!"
"It's a pity I didn't take advantage of him when he wasn't famous and sleep with him a few more times."
"Now he's worth so much, I can't afford him anymore. I can only reminisce about him in my dreams..."
The beautiful blonde, now down to her underwear, looked regretful, as if she had missed out on a multi-million dollar deal.
"Flora, stop talking nonsense. Did you notice anything unusual while patrolling the woods?" Olivia asked.
"Ouch! Look at my poor memory! I almost forgot!"
Flora slapped her forehead, quickly took out her crystal ball, and cast the "Scrying" spell.
"I spotted two trial-takers over in the Mist Demon Swamp."
"Miller and Luke, elders of the Human Demon Cult, appear to be planning to hunt the Crimson Mist Demon!"
"I remember those two. I saw them sneaking around the swamp the other day."
Avril took over, questioning Flora in confusion:
"Miller and Luke, their cultivation is at most late fifth level. How could they have the confidence to hunt the Crimson Mist Demon?"
"Don't tell me, these two cult elders have some uncanny tricks! They might actually pull it off. See for yourself!"
As she spoke, Flora had already completed the spell. The crystal ball reflected a misty swamp.
On the outskirts of the swamp, two strange figures lurked in the woods.
The spherical figure, suspended in the air, resembled a large fleshy ball.
The fleshy ball was two meters in diameter, encased in a thick, keratinous shell.
A large eye occupied most of the front of the sphere.
Below the eye, a mouth with sharp teeth.
Four slender tentacles extended from the eyeball monster's body.
Each tentacle was tipped with a small eyeball.
Elder Luke of the Human Demon Cult had awakened the bloodline of a subspecies of the Eye Demon.
The fifth-level atavistic form, "Eye of Insight," was this exaggerated form of the Eyeball Monster.
Next to the atavistic Luke stood an even stranger figure.
At first glance, his build resembled that of an ordinary human male.
He was completely naked, with no visible physical features.
His skin seemed coated in silver, gleaming like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding scenery.
Even more bizarrely, his head was flat, shaped like an oversized hand mirror.
His neck served as the handle of the hand mirror.
His face and back of his head were a smooth, mirror-like surface.
No trace of facial features could be discerned!
This strange figure with a mirror growing from his neck was Miller, another elder of the Human-Demon Cult.
Miller had awakened the Mirror Demon bloodline, reverting to his ancestral form, resulting in a bizarre appearance.
Miller, in his ancestral form, had no eyes.
He absorbed light through the mirror, still able to see the surrounding scenery clearly.
He walked up to a large tree and reached out to touch its trunk.
The moment his smooth silver fingers touched the bark, it instantly turned silver, its wrinkled texture vanishing as if painted with a layer of mirror paint.
The smooth silver trunk transformed into a cylindrical mirror, reflecting everything around it.
Miller shook his flat mirror head, as if nodding with satisfaction.
Next, he circled the clearing.
He transformed the surrounding trees into gleaming silver mirror structures.
The light reflected from the tree trunks intertwined, dazzling the eye.
After this, Miller gestured to his partner.
Luke understood, his spherical body swung its four eye stalks, and quietly floated out of the forest, heading for the fog-shrouded swamp.
Soon, lightning roared from the depths of the swamp!
Someone seemed to be casting a spell.
A short while later, Luke hurried back to the clearing.
Not far behind him, a humanoid cloud of blood mist followed closely.
"The Crimson Mist Demon is coming!" Flora's voice trembled.
Olivia and Avril, secretly watching through the crystal ball, couldn't help but hold their breath nervously.
The Crimson Mist Demon reflected in the crystal ball still had a human torso and arms in its upper body.
A blurry face revealed two pale balls of soul fire.
The lower half of its body transformed into a formless vapor, radiating wisps of gaseous tentacles.
Like a cluster of blood vessels extending from its body, pulsating with a crimson glow.
Fighting alone, Luke was clearly no match for the Crimson Mist Demon.
Not daring to look back, it desperately flew towards the clearing.
The Crimson Mist Demon drifted in pursuit behind him.
It flung out countless slender mist tentacles, entangling its prey.
Any living creature touched by its tentacles would be drained of blood in less than ten seconds.
Focused solely on its prey, the Crimson Mist Demon ignored its hidden murderous intent.
As soon as it reached the clearing in the woods, it triggered the trap set by Luke and Miller.
A whirlwind arose from the ground, trapping the bloody mist within.
Realizing it had been ambushed, the Crimson Mist Demon attempted to escape.
However, the air currents created by the "Wind Wall" spell perfectly contained its misty form, and as it approached the wind wall, it was blown back.
The Crimson Mist Demon was whirled around in circles by the whirlwind.
Realizing it couldn't escape, it stretched itself into a column of smoke.
Using the thrust generated by the wind pressure, it ascended straight up.
He planned to escape from directly above the air ring wall.
Luke, the ancestral Luke, had anticipated the Crimson Mist Demon's reaction.
He stretched out his two eye stalks and
At the same time, it released its "telekinetic ray."
The telekinetic field transformed into an invisible barrier, pressing down from above the whirlwind and slamming fiercely onto the Crimson Mist Demon's head.
Puff!
The Crimson Mist Demon's body trembled and plummeted.
If this continued, it wouldn't be long before its misty form was annihilated by the combined force of the raging wind and telekinesis!
The Crimson Mist Demon's soul fire suddenly intensified, like two angry gazes glaring through the wind wall at Luke.
Simultaneously, balls of will-o'-the-wisp fire ignited within the bloody mist.
Like countless resentful eyes, they suddenly unleashed a volley of pale beams!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dense, dense beams of negative energy pierced through the wind wall, focusing their fire on Luke.
Whoosh!
Miller transformed into a streak of silver light, appearing in front of Luke.
Using his mirrored body and smooth, flat head, he shielded his partner from the rays imbued with the power of death.
All rays that struck the mirror were refracted.
Miller, the Mirror Demon, was particularly adept at resisting all forms of ray-based attacks.
However, the Crimson Mist Demon was, after all, a sixth-rank undead, and the rays it emitted were both powerful and numerous.
Miller was under immense pressure!
Just as he was about to collapse, he suddenly twisted his mirrored head, pointing it toward a nearby tree.
The mirror reflected the tree.
Simultaneously, the silver-painted and polished tree trunk also reflected Miller's mirrored face, a throwback to his past.
Through the reflected light, Miller and the tree established a mysterious connection.
The next wave of negative energy beams aimed at Miller suddenly deflected mid-air, collectively turning their heads to fire at the tree.
The tree, serving as a scapegoat, was corroded by the negative energy and instantly withered, its silver paint fading.
Just as Miller breathed a sigh of relief, he heard a cry of surprise from behind him.
Looking back, Luke was entangled in misty tentacles!
The Crimson Mist Demon was more cunning than either of them had imagined.
Realizing it couldn't break through overhead, it infiltrated its misty lower body into the ground.
A portion of the blood mist quietly eroded the tree's roots and vines, using the plant's veins as a conduit to bypass the wind barrier and sneak directly beneath Luke.
Taking Luke by surprise, it suddenly burst out of the ground, entangled him, and frantically sucked his blood!
Miller turned his head, following the sound, and looked at the blood mist.
The mirrored face reflected Luke, struggling desperately within the mist.
A flash of silver light!
Luke in the mist suddenly vanished.
Miller's face still held Luke's image.
He could vaguely see Luke in the mirror wiping away a cold sweat, his eyes filled with fear.
Luke narrowly escaped and hid within Miller's mirrored space.
However, this also freed the Crimson Mist Demon from Luke's telekinetic control.
It transformed into a column of crimson smoke, soaring into the sky.
In an instant, it was freed from the wind wall!
Seeing this, Luke in the mirror frantically slapped the mirror, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"Brother Miller, retreat!"
The Crimson Mist Demon's attack was even faster than his warning.
Countless mist tentacles enveloped Miller, entwining him.
Miller's mirrored form was corroded by negative energy, covered in countless dark spots, as if covered in mold.
He struggled within the blood mist, struggling to poke his head out.
Miller's mirrored face fixed on a large tree painted silver.
Swish!
Miller vanished from the blood mist.
The next second, the tree opposite collapsed and withered.
Thin strands of blood mist rose from the crumbling trunk.
Two figures emerged from behind the tree: Luke and Miller.
The carefully laid trap had failed to trap the Crimson Mist Demon, and both men were already losing confidence.
Just as they were about to cast a teleportation spell to escape the Crimson Mist Demon's pursuit, a powerful surge of magical energy suddenly erupted in the forest.
A beam of teleportation light soared from the ground, blocking the two from the Crimson Mist Demon.
As Luke, Miller, Olivia, and the others watched in astonishment, a petite figure calmly emerged from the teleportation array.
A girl in a red suspender skirt clutched a rag doll.
The doll's hairstyle and dress were identical to hers.
The girl narrowed her foxy eyes, looking half asleep.
The Crimson Mist Demon across from her knew no mercy.
She pounced directly at the girl in the red dress!
In the mist, the girl's petite body suddenly swelled.
Bang!
Her dress ripped apart, revealing her flawless form.
In an instant, the little girl transformed into a giantess with an elephant's head and a human body.
She spread her jet-black bat wings, and the blood-red wheel of the Rakshasa appeared behind her! The elephant-headed Rakshasa raised its long, thick trunk and took a deep breath.
As everyone watched in astonishment, the crimson mist demon was forcibly sucked into the trunk.
In the clearing in the forest, the mist, like a surging tide of blood, struggled to escape the trunk's suction.
But it was all in vain.
In just a few seconds, the crimson mist demon was sucked dry by the trunk, leaving not a trace.
The elephant-headed Rakshasa shrank back to its girlish form.
Her flat belly bulged, like a pregnant woman.
"Ugh!"
The little girl burped loudly.
A small puff of crimson mist erupted from her mouth and slowly dissipated.
Her swollen abdomen returned to a flat and smooth surface, as if she had digested the food she had just eaten.
Miller and Luke, despite their best efforts, had been devoured by her with such ease.
The two cult elders were deeply shocked, their minds blank.
Olivia and the others, watching this scene through the crystal ball, were also stunned!
The rag doll in the girl's arms suddenly flew up.
A small hand, made of cloth and stuffed with cotton, nimbly reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a black cloak, draping it over the girl, covering her fair and delicate figure.
The cloak was embroidered with a red moon and bat emblem, identifying the little girl.
The rag doll, suspended in mid-air, turned to face Luke and Miller.
In a delicate voice, she issued a stern rebuke.
"Two old fools, you couldn't even take down a crimson mist demon after all this effort. What a shame!"
"What are you standing there for? Get out of here!"
Luke and Miller suddenly came to their senses, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
Without even a polite word, they cast a spell and hurried away.
"Ghost Girl" Nora didn't even glance at the two of them.
She slowly raised her head, her narrow, hollow eyes fixed on the night sky.
Across the woods, in the camp,
Olivia, Flora, and Avril all shuddered!
Nora's face was reflected in the crystal ball.
Her eyes, like a dark vortex, stared back at them.
All three of them felt an inexplicable panic.
It felt as if their souls were being pulled outward by an invisible force, falling into the endless abyss Nora saw.
Just as they were lost in thought, a young girl's cheerful laughter echoed from the forest:
"Brother Allen! There's a campfire up ahead. That must be Senior Sister Olivia and the others' camp!"
Followed by a young man's voice:
"Let's go over there and say hello, and grab some dinner."
"Mom! Two more trialists are coming over from the Peeper!"
"One of those older brothers seems quite powerful!"
The childish Ragdoll spoke to Nora warily.
"Let's get to the Palace of the Dead quickly, before that powerful older brother steals our prey!"
Nora nodded gently, closed her eyes, and turned.
The moment she closed her eyes...
Crack!
The crystal ball suddenly shattered.
Olivia, Avril, and Flora were startled and woke up at the same time.
They looked at each other in dismay, their hearts still pounding with fear!