164: We're rich! We're rich!

Ning Fengya waited at the entrance of the Ancient Emperor Nine Nethers Cave Mansion, while Lin Du headed alone toward the depths of the Cave Mansion.

From the outside, the Ancient Emperor Nine Nethers Cave Mansion looked like a small black temple.

On the vast plain, the small black temple appeared somewhat unusual and abrupt.

As he continuously approached, Lin Du felt a gloomy and oppressive aura. When he was within a thousand meters of the small temple, a crisp "pop" suddenly sounded in the space before him.

Whoosh—

With the sound, the space before him instantly transformed.

Lin Du had stepped into a brand new world.

Pitch-black, scarred land, a grey sky covered by dark clouds, and scattered skeletal remains... The small temple still stood in the distance, but its appearance had drastically changed.

What was originally an ordinary small black temple had now turned into a grim, white Bone Great Hall wrapped in Nether Flames.

The sinister and evil aura around him grew increasingly intense... "It seems there has been some deviation from the original design."

"I wonder if the upcoming rewards will change!"

Lin Du summoned the Silver King and the Fierce Dream Nightmare, moved his feet, and swept straight forward.

Swish swish—

During the time Lin Du was away from the game, the Fierce Dream Nightmare had been leveled up by the Silver King, and its current level had risen to over 70.

As its level increased, the Fierce Dream Nightmare's body length had reached over two meters.

At first glance, it bore some resemblance to a slender black panther.

But upon closer inspection, one would realize that every part of the Fierce Dream Nightmare's body was more agile and graceful than the form of a black panther.

It walked silently, like a black Phantom Reaper... Swoosh—

Swish swish—

Lin Du hadn't gone far before his path was blocked by monsters.

Blocking the way was a group of Humanoid Monsters wearing gray Daoist robes.

The weapons held by these monsters were varied: hooks, staffs, whips, and some monsters even held Soul Lanterns glowing with Ghost Fire...

[Monster]: Outer Disciple of the Nine Nether Sect (Elite-level)

[Level]: 255

[Skill]: None

[Description]: Humanoid Monster with virtually zero intelligence and worrying combat strength.

The Ancient Emperor Nine Nethers Cave Mansion offered almost no difficulty; the monsters here were basically just props and window dressing.

Their main purpose was to look the part and hand out experience!

After all, the Ancient Emperor Nine Nethers Cave Mansion was merely a treasure trove for distributing rewards, not a place players needed to struggle through.

"Hurry up!"

"Let's move together!"

With Lin Du's command, the slaughter officially began.

The surrounding Humanoid Monsters rushed over in a massive swarm, and Lin Du met them, quickly reaping their lives one monster per strike.

[Killed Outer Disciple of the Nine Nether Sect Lv.255, Reward: Experience Value +5,751,245, lifespan value +1.1 years]

[Killed Outer Disciple of the Nine Nether Sect Lv.255, Reward: Experience Value +5,751,245, lifespan value +1.1 years]

...

"Holy crap!"

"Such high experience value!!"

Looking at the surging experience bar, Lin Du rarely cursed aloud.

A single monster actually provided 5.75 million experience value?

This was far more exaggerated than the initial design!

Normally, an Elite-level monster of this rank should grant around 500,000 experience, meaning this had increased by more than tenfold... The 20-plus monsters surrounding him were cleared out in the blink of an eye.

Four flashes of golden light consecutively shone on Lin Du, quickly raising his level to 259.

After dealing with the Outer Disciples of the Nine Nether Sect, higher-level monsters soon appeared ahead.

[Monster]: Inner Disciple of the Nine Nether Sect (Lord-level)

[Level]: 255

[Skill]: None

[Description]: Humanoid Monster whose sentience was forcefully erased and whose combat strength is worrying.

The descriptions of these Lord-level monsters were similar to the Elite-level ones; their aura was somewhat stronger, but the increase was very limited... Lin Du, holding the shadow dragons fang, began harvesting again.

[Killed Inner Disciple of the Nine Nether Sect Lv.255, Reward: Experience Value +9,351,245, lifespan value +2.2 years]

[Killed Inner Disciple of the Nine Nether Sect Lv.255, Reward: Experience Value +9,351,245, lifespan value +2.2 years]

The experience value from these Lord-level monsters surged by another large margin.

Lin Du currently needed about 35 million experience value to level up, meaning roughly three and a half Lord-level monsters could grant him a level.

After dealing with this large group of Lord-level monsters, his level once again saw a significant boost.

Level 265!!

Only 10 minutes had passed since entering the Secret Realm; this leveling speed was comparable to riding a rocket... Lin Du continued forward, and the level of the monsters ahead kept increasing.

But without exception, these monsters were all weak, and shockingly so.

Next up—

Core Disciples of the Nine Nether Sect at the King-level!

Personal Disciples of the Nine Nether Sect at the Emperor-rank!!

If the Emperor-rank Monsters here were placed outside, they might not even match the strength of a Lord-level monster; this was the result of the system deliberately weakening them. If players were to normally challenge this Secret Realm, those Emperor-rank Monsters would surely teach them why the flowers are so red...

Lin Du crushed them easily all the way, gorging himself on experience points.

Buzz—

Buzz—

The golden light of level-up on Lin Du never stopped throughout, illuminating one after another. After all the monsters outside the Bone Great Hall were cleared, Lin Du's level reached an astonishing 301...

Level 255 to Level 301!

Unbelievable!!

This was the power of the top-tier SS-rank Reward.

But it wasn't over yet; the true major rewards had yet to appear!

Lin Du walked up to the entrance of the Bone Great Hall, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

Creak—

The sound of the door opening echoed within the hall. In various corners of the hall, dozens of deep green Ghost Fires lit up with a "tsst tsst tsst" sound.

The Ghost Fires flickered gently without wind, barely illuminating the interior of the hall.

The hall was unusually empty; within the massive structure, there was only one gigantic Bone Throne.

Seated on the Bone Throne was a White-browed Elder wearing a black robe, who had completely lost all signs of life.

[Monster]: Master of the Nine Nether Sect (Saint Level Peak)

[Level]: ????

[Skill]: None

[Description]: A Super Powerhouse whose fame shook the past and present, who fell here due to unknown reasons.

Unknown reasons?

Lin Du smiled; this was someone he had forcefully designed to die back then.

The Master of the Nine Nether Sect was inanimate, so all he needed to do now was calmly collect the final rewards.

Lin Du shifted his gaze from the face of the Master of the Nine Nether Sect, looking down beneath his left and right hands.

There, two deep orange treasure chests lay quietly.

Two top-tier SS-rank Rewards!

...