179: Chapter 180 Good Luck at the Start

demons lair, Level 82, legendary-rank secret realm.

This is a standard ten-person team Dungeon.

What slightly surprised Lin Muyang was that its entry level was exactly Level 82, just 3 levels lower than his current Level 85.

This meant that if he had leveled up any later and exceeded the entry limit for the secret realm, he probably would not have been able to enter.

This made him feel that the timing of obtaining this scroll was just right.

Of course, level restrictions were never an issue for Lin Muyang.

Even if he were only Level 1, with his heaven-defying God-Tier Aura, he would have the confidence to sweep through this legendary-grade Dungeon.

For other Class Transferees, level and grade are two insurmountable chasms, but in front of the [All Beings Are Equal] Aura, these restrictions are effectively non-existent.

As long as he is willing, any monster in front of him will have its attributes suppressed to the Sovereign-rank level, matching his own.

Furthermore, he has many more ways to deal with them.

Entering the secret realm, his vision was swallowed by boundless darkness.

Lin Muyang appeared in a corner of an extremely vast underground cavern.

The air was filled with a pungent mix of sulfur, blood, and stench, so thick it was almost palpable.

Everything was deathly silent, yet the darkness hid countless unsettling, subtle sounds—heavy breathing, the dripping of mucus, carapaces scraping against rock, and some kind of low muttering that seemed to come from the depths of a nightmare.

Absolute darkness shrouded everything; ordinary vision was completely useless here.

If it were any other Class Transferee team, the first thing they would do upon entering would likely be to cast a light spell or use a lighting tool.

However, this was precisely one of the most insidious traps of the first stage of the "demons lair".

The demons sleeping in this absolute darkness were extremely sensitive to light; the appearance of any Light Source would be like dropping cold water into a calm pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire cavern!

They did not have a fixed alert range like ordinary monsters; light was the only signal for them to collectively awaken and launch a relentless attack!

At that moment, hundreds of legendary-grade demons would swarm them, and even a top-tier ten-person team with perfect composition and tacit coordination would be wiped out in an instant.

"This darkness is actually quite interesting." Lin Muyang thought, and an Aura quietly activated.

[Night Vision]!

The Aura effect activated, and Lin Muyang's vision instantly became incomparably clear, as if it were broad daylight.

Every detail inside the cavern was revealed to his eyes with absolute clarity.

This was an unimaginably huge underground space, with a towering ceiling filled with hanging, grotesque stalactites.

The ground was rugged and uneven, covered with a thick, viscous, dark red unknown substance that looked like a mixture of dried blood and some kind of fungal mat.

And in the relatively flat and open area in the center of the cavern, the sight was even more hair-raising.

Densely packed, various forms of demons were lying, crouching, curled up, or leaning, occupying almost every inch of open space.

There were so many that a rough glance revealed over a hundred of them!

Their forms were bizarre: there were Giant Strength Demons over five meters long, covered in thick bone plates like small mountains; Winged Demons with tattered flesh wings, curved horns, and sharp claws; Hound Demons resembling giant hunting dogs with exposed fangs and drooling mouths; and even more indescribable, twisted monsters covered in pustules and oozing corrosive slime.

The vast majority of the demons had their eyes closed, appearing to be in a deep sleep; some were even emitting deafening snores, with foul-smelling air being expelled with their breathing.

They maintained a certain distance from each other, as if following some primitive territorial division, but overall, they almost filled the entire open area.

"A monster room with over a hundred legendary-grade mobs right at the start?" Lin Muyang raised an eyebrow slightly.

This difficulty is worthy of being legendary-grade.

Even if an ordinary team knew not to use light, trying to clear these hundred-plus demons one by one without alerting the others was an almost impossible task.

The demons' perception was extremely keen; the sounds of battle, fluctuations in magic power, or even the smell of blood could trigger a chain reaction that would awaken a large number of demons.

As long as more than ten were alerted, it would be a disaster for even a top-tier team.

"It is truly worthy of being a place that produces legendary-grade equipment; this appetizer is tough enough." Lin Muyang assessed inwardly, "Looking at the entire Xia Kingdom, the number of teams at this level capable of passing this first stage without taking damage is probably countable on one hand.

Not only would it require top-tier individual talent and strength, but class composition, skill combinations, and team coordination would all be indispensable.

If the Xia Kingdom's official authorities obtained this scroll, they would probably have to swallow their pride and seek cooperation from top geniuses of other countries to clear it."

However, none of this was a problem for Lin Muyang.

He even felt it was a bit dull.

After all, he possessed too many Aura abilities that could handle this kind of situation.

He did not act immediately, but instead raised his hand first.

Spatial fluctuations rippled, and several graceful figures appeared by his side, accompanied by a faint light.

"Wow! Brother Muyang, it's so dark here! I can't see anything!" A crisp, melodious, and slightly naive girl's voice immediately rang out; it was Lilia, the Elf Princess.

She seemed not to have fully adapted to the sudden change in environment; the pitch-black darkness before her made her instinctively feel uneasy. After exclaiming, she subconsciously burrowed into the warmest and most reliable direction she could sense—Lin Muyang's embrace.

However, her subconscious exclamation was like a thunderclap in this absolutely silent, dark cavern!

"Hiss—" "Roar—" The few demons in the area closest to them were alerted almost instantly!

In the darkness, several pairs of scarlet, cruel, and tyrannical eyes suddenly lit up, locking tightly onto the direction from which the sound came!

Heavy breathing sounds arose, and scorching air smelling of sulfur was expelled towards them.

One of the closest demons, which resembled a hunting dog, lowered its body, emitting a threatening growl from its throat, its hind leg muscles tensed, and it looked about to pounce!

"This girl..." Lin Muyang smiled helplessly and raised his hand to stroke Lilia's smooth golden hair.

As a squishy support, this little Elf Princess really needed to improve her alertness.

If they were in any other team, this one shout would have been enough to doom the entire group.

Fortunately, he was well prepared.

"Quiet, watch closely." Lin Muyang said softly, while his mind was already in motion.

[Astral Stasis] Aura, activate!

Silently, a profound and unfathomable power of space and time spread from Lin Muyang as the center, like water ripples, instantly covering the entire cavern!

Wherever it passed, space seemed to be coated with a layer of pale golden, stagnant gel.

Those demons that had been awakened and were about to attack instantly froze in their movements!

They maintained their pouncing, growling, and eye-opening postures, but their bodies were covered in a layer of faint, amber-like golden radiance, which froze their movements, expressions, and even the magic power flowing within them at that very instant.

It wasn't just them; the other hundred-plus demons still sleeping in the cavern were also enveloped by this pale golden "amber" and fell into a state of absolute stillness.

The thunderous snoring stopped abruptly, the dripping mucus hung suspended in mid-air, and the entire cavern fell into an eerie, time-stopped silence.

This was the terrifying effect of [Astral Stasis]!

It did not directly distinguish based on the target's attribute levels, but rather set a maximum number of targets that could be frozen simultaneously based on Lin Muyang's own strength.

Initially, this limit might have only been a few.

But as Lin Muyang's four basic attributes broke through the 200,000 mark, this limit had already surged to over two hundred!

It was more than enough to freeze the hundred-plus demons in this cavern.

"Done." Lin Muyang snapped his fingers.

The next Aura bloomed accordingly.

[Polar Day]!

In an instant, pure, soft, yet pervasive white radiance burst forth from Lin Muyang, instantly filling every corner of the cavern!

The darkness retreated like a tide, and all the filth and horror hidden within had nowhere to hide under the holy light.

This light was not ordinary light; it originated from the rules and was the concept of "Light" itself, which no power could block.

Its counterpart, the [Polar Night] Aura, could swallow all light and create absolute darkness.

At this moment, under the [Polar Day], the cavern was as bright as a midsummer noon.

Under the brilliant white light, the scene inside the cavern was even clearer, and even more uncomfortable.

Those demons frozen in the pale golden "amber" were ugly and grotesque; even while frozen, their scarlet eyes seemed to retain traces of tyranny and madness.

The Hound Demon closest to Lin Muyang happened to be in the moment of pouncing, fangs exposed, claws outstretched, frozen in mid-air, and then, due to the loss of momentum, it fell to the ground comically, maintaining its pouncing posture, looking quite wretched.

Lin Muyang's gaze swept over, and the [Divine Sight] Aura had already clearly presented the target's information.

[Hound Demon (legendary-grade)]

[Level: 82]

[Health Points: 126 million!]

[Skills: Foul Pounce, Blood Demon Swamp, Demon Blood, Corrosive Bite...]

[legendary-grade Aura: Damage Reflection—Reflects 355% of damage received!]

"126 million HP... It's significantly higher than the HP of the mobs in the level 165 epic-level secret realm from before." Lin Muyang nodded slightly.

As expected of a legendary-grade, the base stats simply crush those of the epic-grade. What's more troublesome is that damage reflection; the reflection ratio is as high as 355%!

This means if the attacker isn't sturdy enough, they might very well be insta-killed by the reflected damage before they even manage to kill the monster.

For squishy classes that rely on high burst damage, this is simply a nightmare. For a standard team to conquer it, they must be equipped with top-tier tanks and healers, carefully managing their damage output; the process is bound to be long and perilous.

"This reflection value is more than three times higher than the damage reflection effect in an epic-level secret realm. For an ordinary team, it's indeed tricky." Lin Muyang commented, then looked with a relaxed tone at the young girl standing quietly beside him, "Alice, I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, Master." The Vampire girl Alice replied softly. There was no emotional fluctuation on her pale yet exquisitely beautiful face, only a glint of eagerness flashing in her scarlet eyes.

Lin Muyang's thoughts stirred, and he dispelled the [Astral Stasis] applied to that Hound Demon.

"Roar—!"

The flow of time returned to normal. The Hound Demon let out a deafening roar, its scarlet eyes locked firmly onto Alice, who was closest to it. Its hind legs kicked off the ground, its massive body stirring up a foul wind as it lunged again with astonishing speed! Its sharp claws tore through the air, carrying a corrosive demonic Aura.

Alice did not dodge or avoid it, nor did she make any defensive stance. She simply calmly raised a fair, slender palm that looked like a work of art, and grasped at the empty air toward the lunging demon.

Skill—Blood Reversal!

An invisible ripple of blood-element magic instantly enveloped the Hound Demon. The dark red blood surging within its body, containing demonic power, suddenly had its flow path disrupted and reversed! A violent pain from within made it let out a miserable howl, its lunging motion deforming and slowing down because of it. At the same time, a scarlet negative status marker appeared above its head.

Following that, Alice parted her red lips slightly and softly uttered one word: "Suck."

A terrifying suction force erupted from her palm! From the pores, mouth, nose, and even wounds on the Hound Demon's body, countless fine blood threads shot out, surging madly toward Alice like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea! A faint, eerie flush appeared on the latter's pale cheeks, as if she were enjoying some delicacy.

- 12.6 million! (Life Drain)

- 12.6 million! (Life Drain)

Huge damage numbers popped up above the Hound Demon's head! Each "Life Drain" directly deducted 10% of its maximum HP! This was because the Hound Demon possessed a massive 50% blood-element resistance; otherwise, the damage would have been a terrifying 20%!

Under the terrifying cooldown reduction of Lin Muyang's [Infinite Firepower] Aura, the cooldown of Alice's "Life Drain" skill was compressed to a staggering 0.09 seconds! It was almost equivalent to an instant cast with no cooldown!

Thus, a bizarre and chilling scene unfolded: the fierce and hideous legendary-grade demon was frozen in mid-air, twitching frantically, its internal blood pouring out like a floodgate opening, transforming into a crimson torrent that flowed into the slender, pale young girl not far away. Yet, the girl simply held her hand up calmly, as if she were drawing a cup of unimportant beverage.

The Hound Demon's HP bar plummeted at a speed visible to the naked eye! Its 126 million HP, in front of Alice, melted away rapidly like snow under the sun. As for its 355% damage reflection Aura? Under the influence of the "Blood Reversal" debuff, all "damage dealt" effects were completely reversed, turning into "healing effects"! The damage reflected onto Alice not only failed to harm her in the slightest, but instead transformed into life energy that nourished her!

In just one second, there was no need for Lin Muyang or the other girls to even make a move.

"Pfft—" A soft sound, as if a balloon had been pricked. The Hound Demon's massive body instantly shriveled up, turning into a hideous desiccated corpse covered in leather and bones, which collapsed softly to the ground. Its life had been completely drained.

Insta-kill! A true insta-kill! Facing a legendary-grade demon with over 100 million HP, Alice only used "Life Drain" less than ten times!

"Wow! Alice is so amazing!" Lilia poked her little head out from Lin Muyang's arms, her jewel-like eyes filled with amazement and envy. This terrifying ability to deduct HP by percentage was simply a nightmare for high-HP enemies! Unless one possessed extremely high blood-element resistance, HP was the most worthless thing in front of Alice.

Moreover, this was not the end.

Because Alice dealt massive damage to the Hound Demon, her passive skill [Blood Pact] triggered, converting 100% of the damage dealt into a temporary "Blood Shield". A layer of solid, heavy dark-red energy shield instantly formed around her body, with a shield value as high as over 126 million! This shield could not only absorb damage, but it was also the ammunition for her next skill.

Following that, Lin Muyang moved his thoughts again, and the pale golden amber on the other dozen or so demons frozen by [Astral Stasis] around them—including the Behemoth Demon, Winged Demon, Pustule Monster, etc.—dissipated simultaneously.

"Roar!!!" "Skree—!"

Over a dozen legendary-grade demons broke free from their restraints simultaneously, waking from their slumber or stasis, and instantly fell into a frenzy! They immediately sensed the rich blood-element magic on Alice, as well as the shriveled corpse of their companion on the ground. Rage and bloodlust overwhelmed their reason, and they simultaneously let out earth-shaking roars, lunging at Alice from all directions! Sharp claws, fangs, corrosive liquid, demonic fire... various attacks wove into a net of death, instantly submerging the area where Alice was!

Facing this terrifying concentrated fire that was enough to instantly tear apart a top-tier team, Alice's expression remained calm. She did not even make any dodging or defensive movements, simply gently closing those scarlet eyes.

Skill—Body of Blood!

The next moment, her body suddenly disintegrated, transforming into a mass of pure, thick, constantly flowing and churning dark-red liquid blood! Physical attacks passed through the blood mass, and magical brilliance flickered within it, but could not deal any substantial damage to it! In this state, Alice was immune to all damage and could freely cast skills!

The blood mass surged, and Alice's cold voice came from within: "Blood Explosion."

Boom—!!! Centered on that mass of blood, the "Blood Shield" that had accumulated over 100 million damage points exploded with a roar! A terrifying crimson shockwave spread madly in a ring toward all directions! Wherever it passed, rocks shattered, the air was dyed dark red, and those dozen or so legendary-grade demons that had lunged close could not even let out a scream before they were vaporized and evaporated instantly under the impact of the unparalleled blood magic, like snowmen thrown into magma! Not even residue was left!

The dark-red shockwave swept across a small half of the cave, clearing that area completely, leaving only a dark-red stain on the ground soaked in blood and emitting a strong, fishy stench, as well as the nauseating blood mist permeating the air.

Inside the cave, it was instantly quiet. Only those demon "ambers" still frozen by [Astral Stasis] remained in the distance, reflecting a cold luster under the light of [Extreme Daylight].

"This power..." Even Lin Muyang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes. This combo of Alice's "Body of Blood" followed by "Blood Explosion" had a terrifyingly high clearing efficiency when dealing with groups of enemies. The only drawback was that the "Body of Blood" skill had too long a cooldown, with a base cooldown as high as one hour, and even with the [Infinite Firepower] Aura buff, it still required 108 seconds to be used again. Otherwise, this girl would truly be an invincible existence on the battlefield.

Even so, the terrifying combat power Alice displayed at this moment was definitely among the top tier of the girls under Lin Muyang's command. High percentage damage, invincibility status, massive area clearing, amazing self-sustainability... she had almost no shortcomings.

"Well done, Alice." Lin Muyang praised.

The blood mass that the Vampire girl had transformed into re-condensed, returning to that pale, slender, beautiful figure. Upon hearing this, a very faint, almost invisible flush appeared on her pale face as she lowered her head slightly: "Serving you, Master, is Alice's honor."

Lin Muyang smiled and said no more. He raised his hand, his thoughts stirring.

God-Tier Aura—[Loot Extraction]! Activate!

An invisible force swept across the area soaked in blood, as well as the desiccated corpse of the Hound Demon.

Hum! Two brilliant, blinding crimson pillars of light suddenly shot up from that bloody ground! Within the pillars of light, complex and mysterious runes faintly flowed, emitting an Aura far more ancient, vast, and powerful than legendary-grade equipment!

"A great start!" Lin Muyang's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled into a satisfied arc, "Straight away, two mythic grade items!"

A legendary-rank secret realm, it truly lives up to its reputation! Just from the first wave of mobs, with the bonus from [Loot Extraction], two mythic grade items were looted! This drop rate far exceeds that of an epic-level secret realm!