78: Chapter 78, First Level Passed

The bodies of the Corrupted Demon Wolves were torn apart like paper, and the black iron and Bronze grade monsters fell in droves, their vitals pierced or their cores purified by the Silver Glow.

In particular, the few Silver Demon Wolves charging at the front were instantly targeted by at least dozens of Silver Glows, shrieking as they were riddled with holes, while foul blood mixed with purified black smoke splattered everywhere.

With just this one strike, a large swath of the vanguard of the beast horde on the east side was cleared, and their momentum was brought to a standstill!

"Hiss..." Lord Su Wan, who was tightly protected in the rear, witnessed this magnificent yet deadly scene and couldn't help but gasp, her emerald green eyes filled with unspeakable shock and envy.

Such a wide-range, high-power Arrow Rain skill that also carried a powerful purification effect... This had completely exceeded her understanding of an "Archer".

"Is this the power of a Legendary-grade unit? It's too strong..." She murmured in her heart, watching Lin Yin's figure, which resembled a fairy under the moon, gaining a more intuitive understanding of "power" for the first time.

If she could have such a general under her command, why would her territory fear the threats of the night? This thought made her even more curious about Lin Tian's development model and gave her new reflections on her own future path.

Lin Yin had achieved success with a single strike; her expression remained cold and aloof, though her breathing had quickened slightly.

Without pausing, her figure, like an elf under the moonlight, moved lightly within the limited space of the circular formation. Every time she drew her bow, a Silver Moon Arrow Rain covered the direction of greatest pressure, greatly alleviating the pressure of being surrounded on all sides.

Her arrow rain was not only astonishingly lethal but also effectively purified the polluting aura dissipated after the monsters died, preventing it from causing continuous erosion to the soldiers in the formation.

On the other side, Lin Feng was like the most solid rock. He did not use the massive-consumption legion skill "Command of a Thousand Armies", but instead pushed his own characteristics as a Crimson Sun Divine General to the extreme.

He held the crimson gold coiling dragon spear, anchoring the southwest corner of the circular formation like a god of war. As he brandished his long spear, the golden-red Spear Glow leaped like a dragon, its scorching and fierce aura specifically restraining filth.

Any fish that slipped through the net, breaking through the arrow rain and spear formation to charge near, would be met with his thunderous strike; often, a single spear thrust could send several monsters flying or pierce through them.

With the perfect coordination of the two—one at range and one at close quarters, one focused on area-of-effect and the other on core defense—coupled with the sturdy defense and tacit rotation of the Heavy Armored Spearmen, as well as the continuous healing spells and natural armor applied by the elves in the rear, this seemingly perilous "ambush from all sides" was steadily held off and gradually developed in a direction favorable to the human coalition.

The battle lasted for about ten minutes. When the last aberrant high-level Bronze Corrupted Beast was pierced through the core by Lin Feng's spear and dissipated into black smoke with a wail, the clamorous plain suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Looking around, with the circular formation as the center, the grass within a radius of several hundred meters was densely covered with the corpses and foul blood of various polluting monsters that were slowly dissipating, and the air was filled with a thick, fishy stench and the residual aura of moonlight and the Crimson Sun.

A small portion of Lin Tian's Heavy Armored Spearmen were injured, their armor covered in scratches and stains, but the formation remained intact. Most of the injured had only suffered minor wounds and were already fine under the healing of the elves.

In contrast, Lord Su Wan's elf troops, although well-protected, still saw over twenty elves unfortunately fall under the corrosive liquid sprayed by the monsters from a distance or the chaotic impact, causing Lord Su Wan to be unable to hide the sorrow in her eyes.

"The first trial has been passed." That magnificent and ancient voice sounded again, devoid of joy or sorrow.

Following the voice, a speck of brilliant golden light condensed out of thin air in the center of the plain, in front of Lin Tian and Lord Su Wan, and slowly descended. As the light faded, it revealed one hundred strange crystals, each about the size of a fist, presenting a pure and translucent golden yellow, with what appeared to be liquid sunlight slowly flowing inside.

[Individual Reward: gold crystal × 100]

[Item Description: Contains pure elemental gold power.]

"gold crystal? Good stuff!" Lin Tian's eyes lit up. Although the quantity wasn't large, the fact that there was such a rare material reward in the first trial showed that this secret realm was indeed lucrative.

Lord Su Wan also saw the attributes of the gold crystal, and a look of joy flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"Rest period: ten minutes. After ten minutes, you may choose whether to start the second trial." The grand voice gave the prompt and then fell silent.

On the plain, apart from the rustling of the breeze through the grass, only the faint sounds of the coalition forces catching their breath, treating the wounded, and cleaning their equipment remained.

The first battle was a success, but greater challenges might still lie ahead. Lin Yin put away her long bow, walked to Lin Tian's side, and silently handed him a water skin, but her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the pile of golden crystals, then quickly retracted, as if she were just glancing casually.

Lord Su Wan could not hide the deep, water-like worry on her face. This was only the first trial, and they had already paid such a price, with eight more to go... It was hard to imagine what kind of purgatory scene it would be.

She gently gripped the natural staff in her hand, her fingertips cold.

However, when her gaze turned to the silent yet reassuring iron army beside her, and the tall, straight figure faintly protected by the Holy Envoy of the Profound Moon, a strong sense of relief diluted her worries.

She walked to Lin Tian's side, her voice softer than usual, carrying sincere gratitude: "Lord Lin Tian, thank you so much for this time. If not for forming an alliance with you, I and the elves alone would likely have failed in this first trial, wasting this opportunity in vain."

Her gaze involuntarily glanced again at those dissipating elf light spots, her tone complex.

Lin Tian was checking on the soldiers' injuries and, upon hearing this, waved his hand freely, his face wearing his usual hearty smile:

"Lord Su Wan, you are too polite; we are achieving this together. Without your token, I wouldn't have been able to enter this treasure trove. Since we have formed an alliance, we naturally must weather the difficulties together. Let's make the most of these ten minutes, let everyone recover well, and we will carry the hard battles ahead together."

The certainty and ease in his tone inexplicably dispelled some of the heavy atmosphere.

Lord Su Wan looked at Lin Tian, who was blocked by Lin Yin's body but remained calm and composed, and then looked at Lin Yin, who was inseparable and had eyes as vigilant as a mother leopard protecting her cubs. She couldn't help but smile and joked: "Then I will shamelessly hold on tight to your 'thick thigh', Lord Lin Tian."

"Haha, easy, easy, my leg is quite sturdy." Lin Tian laughed too, patting his own thigh, which caused several soldiers nearby who heard it to show knowing smiles, and the atmosphere became a little more lively.

After a brief exchange, everyone seized the precious rest time.

The elves whispered natural prayers to soothe the departed souls and heal the wounded, while the Heavy Armored Spearmen silently wiped their weapons and checked their armor. Lin Yin stood by Lin Tian's side, seemingly adjusting her bowstring, but her gaze was always vigilantly patrolling the silent plain, as if monsters could emerge from under the harmless green grass at any moment.

From time to time, she would quickly glance at Lin Tian out of the corner of her eye, and only after confirming he was unharmed would she slightly relax her tense back.

The ten minutes of rest time passed in a flash.