Chapter 37 Personal Trial

The squad immediately changed direction and sped off in the northeast.

The closer they got, the clearer the roar and howl of the energy collision became.

As the group passed through a barrier formed by turbulent energy currents, the sight before them caused them to freeze in shock.

This place seems to have once been the core square of an ancient divine realm, with the ground covered in cracks and charred marks left by battles.

In the center of the square, an altar exuding a primordial aura was slowly rising, surrounded by several pillars of light radiating a chilling power.

Meanwhile, dozens of players were engaged in a fierce battle across the square.

None of the players who have survived to this day are weak.

IDs ranked high on the leaderboard were everywhere, and the energy explosions of various powerful superpowers, divine arts, martial arts, and technological weapons almost illuminated the dim sky.

Limbs and player corpses were scattered everywhere, and blood almost stained the Divine Jade Square red. The ferocity of the battle far exceeded any previous encounter.

The instant the altar fully rose, a system notification resounded in the minds of all survivors:

[100 players remain in the Ragnarok instance.]

[Number of participants meets the requirement; the central altar has been activated and contains top-tier artifacts: [Kunlun Mirror Fragment], [Eastern Emperor Bell Fragment], [Xuanyuan Sword Replica]...]

The final rewards will be determined based on the ranking of points and the results of the battle for the artifact!

[May you all fight to the very end.]

The system's announcement was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the already heated battlefield.

Gu Yunqing understood; indeed, this was the main event.

Those remaining in the arena are the elite of the elite, and they have the most points.

His mind was highly focused, and he was fully controlling Qiu Zangxue's disguise, preparing to face this epic battle.

As for Zhuge Jin, Gu Yunqing chose to have him managed by the system.

"A divine artifact! A top-tier divine artifact!"

"Rob it!"

"Kill them all!"

Greed and madness completely dominated most players, making the battles even more intense.

"In the northeast corner, three remnants of the Blazing Sun Guild are armed with area-of-effect damage items."

"Due west, the lone powerhouse 'Blood Butcher' is third on the leaderboard, and his ability is suspected to be blood manipulation."

"A shadowy figure lurks on the southeast side of the altar, its aura similar to the assassin from before..."

Zhuge Jin's calm voice quickly echoed in everyone's minds, accurately reporting every target and potential threat that needed attention on the battlefield.

Gu Yunqing instantly locked onto "Blood Slaughter," who was third on the leaderboard, through Qiu Zangxue's crimson eyes.

It was a tall man shrouded in a blood-red mist. Wherever he went, the blood of other players seemed to be drawn out uncontrollably, turning into blood arrows that attacked, making him extremely difficult to deal with.

Qiu Zangxue's figure transformed into a streak of crimson lightning, rushing directly towards "Blood Slaughter".

"Another one coming to die." Blood Butcher grinned, his body swirling with blood mist, and dozens of blood arrows shot towards Qiu Zangxue like venomous snakes.

"Clang clang clang clang".

Qiu Zangxue wielded her twin blades, transforming them into an impenetrable curtain of blades that shattered all the blood arrows. The pale flames even burned away and evaporated the filthy blood.

Without slowing down, he instantly rushed in front of Blood Butcher, his twin blades slashing down with overwhelming force.

"What?!" Blood Butcher was shocked. He hadn't expected his blood arrow to be broken so easily. In a hurry, he conjured a thick blood shield to block it.

"boom!"

The sword and shield clashed, and the blood shield shook violently, almost shattering.

Chou Zangxue pressed her advantage relentlessly, and Xing Tian's fighting spirit erupted in full force. His blade swept like a storm, relentlessly entangling Xue Tu and giving him no chance to catch his breath or manipulate the blood of others.

The chat in Qiu Zangxue's live stream kept scrolling by:

"Boss Qiu went straight for the toughest challenge."

"Even Blood Butcher, who is third on the leaderboard, has been suppressed."

"This combat power is outrageous."

On the other side, Jun Xiangbei acted like a scavenger on the battlefield, his sword flashing as he precisely and efficiently eliminated the alien players on the field.

His movements were devoid of any fancy moves; every sword strike was aimed directly at vital points, and his efficiency was frighteningly high.

A player from the Blazing Sun Guild attempted to attack Zhuge Jin from the side with a flaming spear while he was maintaining battlefield awareness.

Jun Xiangbei's figure flashed, arriving first despite being behind. His sword flashed, and the player's arm holding the spear was severed at the shoulder, and he fell to the ground with a scream.

He didn't even glance at the other person, his gaze calmly sweeping across the room, searching for the next threat that needed to be "eliminated".

Su Meichuan, meanwhile, moved along the edge of the battlefield, maximizing her evolved charm and illusion abilities.

With a flick of his eye, he could slow down the movements of players rushing towards them, confuse their sense of direction, and even cause two enemies to fight inexplicably.

The ability to briefly affect spatial perception caused attacks attempting to remotely lock onto them to repeatedly fail.

Bai Muling occupied a high vantage point, her throwing knives like invitations from the Grim Reaper, specifically targeting and killing normal human players who had been injured but not killed by Jun Xiangbei.

Xin Yuan'er... he is still "playing" a role.

One moment I "accidentally" threw a smoke grenade into the densest area of ​​enemies, the next I "slipped" and tripped, narrowly avoiding a fatal area attack, and incidentally even picked up an A-grade accessory dropped by some unlucky guy...

The viewers in Xin Yuan'er's live stream were laughing so hard they wanted to die:

"Lucky Guy: I may not be contributing much, but I'm trying my best (to get by)."

"This luck is unparalleled. As long as he doesn't die, he's bound to achieve great things."

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Enemy: There's something dirty inside."

"Lucky Guy: Although I didn't directly fight, my role was irreplaceable! (Sounds self-righteous)"

"This luck is like a battlefield nuisance... no, a mascot!"

"The other side is probably furious."

Gu Yunqing was fully focused on controlling Qiu Zangxue, immersed in this peak combat state.

The twin blades clashed repeatedly with the blood-red energy of Blood Butcher, and Xing Tian's fighting spirit and that strange blood energy corroded each other.

He could feel the power surging and cheering within Qiu Zangxue's vest. For Shura, this level of life-or-death struggle was the perfect stage.

At the same time, he also spared a bit of attention to keep a close eye on Zhuge Jin, who was now being managed by the system.

He kept Zhuge Jin within the optimal protection range covered by Jun Xiangbei and Su Meichuan's abilities, occasionally using the power of Fuxi's divine essence for small-scale prediction and interference, ensuring his absolute safety.

"Chou Zangxue, left rib. In three seconds, Xue Tu will use his essence blood as a catalyst to unleash the 'Blood Explosion Technique'." Zhuge Jin's voice rang out at the right moment.

Qiu Zangxue narrowed his crimson eyes. Just as the blood-red light on Xue Tu's body suddenly became unstable and was about to explode, he shifted his feet strangely and moved like a ghost to Xue Tu's side and behind him.

"boom!"

The violent blood explosion blasted out on the spot, creating a deep crater in the ground, but it failed to harm Qiu Zangxue in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Qiu Zangxue's blade, like a venomous snake, pierced towards the open back of Xue Tu, which had been exposed by his Blood Explosion!

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced the flesh.

Blood Butcher let out a shrill scream, and the blood mist around him instantly dimmed by more than half.

He turned back in disbelief, looking into Qiu Zangxue's cold and ruthless scarlet eyes, and finally, filled with endless resentment, he turned into white light and disappeared.

[Points +2850!]

Qiu Zangxue's points soared, firmly securing her position at the top of the leaderboard.

Then, Qiu Zangxue let out a wild laugh, and his murderous aura and pale flames erupted as he charged directly toward the altar.

Wherever he went, the chaotic crowd was thrown into the lake like a giant rock, and people and horses were instantly thrown to the ground!

"It's that red-eyed madman!"

"Qiu Zangxue is ranked first on the leaderboard."

"Stop him!"

Several players, confident in their strength, immediately attempted to stop them.

A burly man wielding a massive shield roared as he blocked the way, the shield glowing with a thick, earthy yellow light.

Qiu Zangxue didn't dodge or evade at all. He crossed his twin swords, and the pale flames surged. With an indomitable momentum, he slammed the swords hard into the shield!

"Boom—Clang."

The seemingly indestructible giant shield, along with the burly man behind it, was cleaved away by this ferocious attack, and the man was torn to pieces in mid-air.

[Points +588!]

"Left side, three-person attack, target your ribs."

"A hidden assassin is at your right rear; he has initiated a backstab."

Zhuge Jin's voice was like the most precise battlefield command system, pointing out every potential threat in a timely manner.

Qiu Zangxue moved like a ghost, narrowly avoiding three fierce attacks from the left. At the same time, she swung her sword backhand and precisely parried the poisoned dagger that stabbed out from the shadows.

With a flick of his wrist, the blade flashed, and the assassin collapsed, clutching his slit throat.

[Points +455!]

Under Zhuge Jin's almost cheating-like global insight and precise command, this six-person team, like a red-hot dagger, tore a bloody path through the chaotic battlefield and resolutely headed towards the altar.

Their strength naturally attracted the attention of other top players and teams.

We can't let them succeed!

"Take care of them first!"

In an instant, even more attacks poured down on them.

Spell storms, arrow rain, and all sorts of bizarre curses and binding skills... seemed to be engulfing them.

"The Xun position, where the wind gathers, will be covered by a torrent of magic in three seconds."

"The earth veins in the Kun position are unusual; beware of a sudden attack by earth spikes."

"The dry position... shows signs of spatial locking; avoid it first!"

Zhuge Jin's voice remained calm, pointing out each fatal crisis in advance.

Qiu Zangxue laughed wildly, wielding his twin swords in a death storm, constantly shattering, splitting, and deflecting the incoming attacks.

Xing Tian's fighting spirit was boiling, and white flames burned. He seemed tireless, becoming more and more courageous in battle, and his score was jumping wildly.

Jun Xiangbei's sword light was like a curtain, blocking all the attacks of those who managed to escape. Occasionally, a healing green light would fall on Qiu Zangxue or himself, maintaining the battle.

Tragic, utterly tragic.

Players kept falling in the chaos, and their names on the leaderboard faded away one by one.

The area around the altar had been transformed into a veritable meat grinder.

Gu Yunqing was immersed in this peak combat experience.

He fully controlled Qiu Zangxue, feeling the power being released and increased in the killing, and enjoying the thrill of controlling the battle and crushing the enemy.

At the same time, he kept a close eye on Zhuge Jin's safety, ensuring that his "eyes" would not be blinded.

Almost there...almost there.

As she drew ever closer to the altar, Qiu Zangxue suddenly roared, unleashing her full power. She cleaved away the last obstacle in her path with a single strike and reached for the divine artifact on the altar.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the divine artifact—

A sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, a great light shone from the very center of the altar.

An irresistible spatial fluctuation enveloped the entire top of the altar!

"Oh no, it's spatial teleportation!" Zhuge Jin's urgent voice rang out.

The next moment, all the players still alive on the altar, as well as the several floating artifacts, were swallowed up by the blinding chaotic light and disappeared!

The viewers in Zhuge Jin's live stream looked completely bewildered.

"??? What's going on?"

"Did the altar teleport everyone away? Or was it used as a sacrifice?"

"And the final reward?"

"Is the dungeon about to end?"

After a violent sense of spatial tearing, Qiu Zangxue found herself standing in a void.

All around was a flowing, chaotic mix of colors, with no end in sight.

A majestic, cold voice resounded throughout this void:

[Final Trial: Overcome your own mirror image to gain the artifact's approval.]

[Note: The mirror image will perfectly replicate all of the trial participant's current abilities and status.]

Opposite Qiu Zangxue, chaotic energy gathered and slowly condensed into another "Qiu Zangxue".

The same black clothes, the same twin swords, the same scarlet eyes, and the same Xing Tian fighting spirit and pale flames swirling around him.

Mirror Image of Qiu Zangxue slowly raised her twin blades, her murderous aura soaring to the sky.

Gu Yunqing looked at the mirror image in front of her, which was exactly the same as her, through Qiu Zangxue's perspective, and was not surprised but delighted.

Overcoming oneself?

interesting.

This is what makes it worthy of the final trial!

He controlled Qiu Zangxue, grinning with a ferocious and excited smile, his hoarse voice echoing in the void:

"Come on, let me see... just how strong 'I' am."

The two swords clashed, and pale flames clashed with Xing Tian's fighting spirit.

The final personal trial begins!

Author's Note:

This dungeon is almost over. [Three-colored cat emoji]