117: Chapter 117, you learned it from Pin Dao Dao, right?

"BOOM!!!"

A terrifying roar exploded outside Thousand Light City!

Golden light suddenly appeared, like the scorching sun falling to the earth.

In Chen You's hand, the yuhuang sword pointed its tip, and even space seemed to ripple.

"Crack..."

A crisp shattering sound, sharp and clear, reached the ears of everyone present.

Immediately following, the ancient stone tablet, which had stood for countless years and remained undamaged through countless attacks, exploded into pieces under the horrified gazes of all the players!

Countless debris of varying sizes, mixed with fragments of runes, transformed into a terrifying energy storm, sweeping out in all directions!

"Holy crap! Retreat quickly!"

"Run!!"

"Mom, save me!"

The players who were close by scrambled backward, tumbling and crawling.

Even so, they were still knocked to the ground by the powerful blast wave, with a string of [-1], [-1] floating above their heads.

However, no one paid attention to this insignificant amount of damage.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the center of the dust-filled area, their minds blank.

Shattered?

It really shattered?

That stone tablet that countless players had tried to attack, yet remained unscathed, considered an 'absolutely indestructible scene prop'—

It was just... split into countless fragments by a single sword strike?

The dust had not yet settled.

A thick pillar of dark red light, like a giant column supporting the heavens, suddenly shot up from the original location of the stone tablet, tearing through the clouds and piercing straight into the firmament!

The entire Thousand Light City area was enveloped in this ominous blood-red light, making the sky look as if it had been splashed with thick, fresh blood.

A violent, chaotic, and heart-pounding aura descended from the sky, pressing down so hard that all the players could barely breathe.

"Voom Voom Voom--"

In the center of that blood-red pillar of light, the shattered remains of the stone tablet seemed to be drawn by some mysterious force, beginning to curl back and rapidly reassemble in the air!

In just a few breaths, a brand new boundary marker, entirely colored a strange blood-red, stood tall again in its original place.

It was taller than before, and engraved on its surface were no longer the ancient dungeon introductions, but countless reliefs of twisted, struggling vengeful spirits.

Wisps of black energy seeped out from it, emitting a terrifying pressure that made souls tremble.

And at the very top of the blood-red boundary marker, two lines of text condensed from fresh blood, seemingly still warm, were permanently branded upon it.

[Destruction Mode Has Been Activated.]

[Destroyer: Chen You]

The next second, a blood-red announcement covering the entire Source Realm, impossible for any player to ignore, rushed toward them!

[World Announcement]

[Player "Chen You" has successfully activated Destruction Mode for the dungeon [Tomb of Thousand Lights]! As the activator, his name will be permanently inscribed on the boundary marker of this dungeon!]

["Destruction Mode" is a high-difficulty challenge mode. Monster strength and numbers will be greatly increased, making completion extremely difficult.]

[However, the drop rewards are exceptionally rich, with a very low chance of yielding special items.]

[Warning: 'Destruction Mode' can only be challenged once per day. All Adventurers should assess their capabilities before proceeding!]

...

The World Announcement rolled three times, burning the eyes of all the Adventurers.

Outside the tomb, before the stone tablet, there was a dead silence.

All the players looked as if they had been immobilized by a spell, staring blankly at the blood-red boundary marker.

Then they looked at the figure who had calmly sheathed his sword and stood still, feeling their worldview being repeatedly crushed.

"Am I... am I seeing things? He really... did it again?"

"The Wailing Valley incident, I thought it was an isolated case... Now it seems, that's his specialty."

"This great expert is a professional headline-maker for World Announcements!"

"Is that the main point? The main point is that stone tablet!"

A Warrior player pointed at the blood-red boundary marker with a trembling voice, "Do you know how hard that thing is?"

"I remember last time, the Vice-Leader of the 'Mad Axe' Guild, that Level 30 Berserker, activated Berserk and used all his strength in one axe swing, and his hand bone was directly fractured!"

"He... how did he... with just one sword strike..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood.

"We only heard about it before, but seeing it with our own eyes now... I feel like he's playing a completely different game than us."

A Mage muttered to himself, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.

Just as everyone was still immersed in the immense shock and unable to pull themselves out,

Chen You didn't even spare another glance at the boundary marker bearing his name. He turned directly and walked toward the dungeon entrance shrouded in blood-red light.

"Since I'm already here, no need to make another trip," he calculated in his mind. "I'll check out how the increased difficulty is for this Level 20 Destruction Mode."

"He... he went in again?"

"He just opened Destruction Mode and is immediately running it?!"

"He's crazy, truly crazy..."

Under the gazes of countless people mixed with awe, fear, and fanaticism, Chen You's figure didn't pause at all. He stepped into the blood-red spatial ripple and vanished.

...

Entering the tomb again, the feeling was completely different.

A faint pressure permeated the air. Although the oppressive aura emanating from the 'Terror of Ghosts' title was still effective, its effect was clearly halved.

The skeletal soldiers lining the corridor no longer immediately prostrated themselves as they had before.

Instead, they trembled in place, the soul fire in their empty eyes flickering violently. After struggling for a few seconds, they reluctantly dropped their weapons and knelt down.

"The difficulty has indeed increased."

Chen You raised an eyebrow slightly, but his pace did not slow.

For him, whether it was struggling for a few seconds before kneeling or kneeling immediately, the difference was negligible.

He still walked leisurely.

He still proceeded unimpeded.

Under Destruction Mode, the number of monsters had clearly increased, and the corridor was almost packed with various undead creatures.

But their only fate was to turn into a grand worship ceremony the moment Chen You approached.

And then shatter into pieces.

In less than five minutes.

Chen You arrived at the central hall again and met his old friend—the Skeleton General Meng Hun.

Meng Hun's size was nearly a full circle larger than before.

The tattered armor on its body was enveloped in a dense layer of black energy, and the soul fire in its eyes had turned a deep blood-red.

Its level had soared from a Level 25 Elite Lord to [LV30 - Elite Lord (Enhanced)].

It was surrounded by an aura of [Grievance Erosion], which would slow down any approaching creature.

"Roar--!"

Upon seeing Chen You, Meng Hun showed no signs of trembling. Instead, it let out a roar filled with endless resentment and immediately raised the giant blade in its hand.

Clearly, the boost from Destruction Mode had allowed its obsession to overcome the instinctive fear brought by 'Terror of Ghosts'.

"A bit interesting."

Chen You's expression remained unchanged, and a thought moved in his mind.

Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique—Startling Swan!

A brilliant golden sword light arrived in an instant, tearing through the air, aiming directly for Meng Hun's head!

"Clang--!"

With a loud clang, Meng Hun surprisingly struck first, using its giant blade to precisely block the attack!

Sparks flew!

The immense force caused the stone tiles beneath Meng Hun's feet to crack inch by inch, but it had ultimately blocked it!

[-3862]

An astonishing damage number floated above its head, but it was not instantly killed.

"It's a bit tough."

Chen You felt slightly surprised.

Meng Hun, having blocked the strike, seemed to receive a huge stimulus. Its blood-red pupils suddenly contracted, and the black energy surrounding its body surged.

The giant blade in its hand ignited with ghastly green flames, and a powerful 'Soul-Severing Slash' was brought down upon Chen You's head!

However, Chen You didn't even lift an eyelid.

Behind him, the second yuhuang sword quietly materialized, humming, and instantly transformed into a magnificent sword wheel—it was the second stance of the Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique—Chaotic Stars!

The sword wheel spun, protecting him in the center, perfectly blocking all of Meng Hun's attacks, producing a dense series of "ding ding dang dang" sounds.

Simultaneously, the first yuhuang sword flashed gold again, executing 'Startling Swan' once more!

One offense, one defense, perfectly coordinated!

"Pfft!"

This time, Meng Hun could no longer resist.

The golden sword light pierced through its brow as if cutting tofu.

The sword light flashed continuously, and Meng Hun's health bar plummeted rapidly.

Soon, the massive skeletal body collapsed with a crash, turning into a pile of broken bones.

From the start of the battle to the end, it took only about ten seconds.

[Ding! You have successfully killed [Skeleton General Meng Hun (Enhanced)]!]

[Ding! You have successfully cleared the dungeon [Tomb of Thousand Lights (Destruction Mode)]!]

[Ding! You have obtained the Solo First Clear Reward for [Tomb of Thousand Lights (Destruction Mode)]!]

[Experience Points + 300000!]

[Your level has increased to LV19!]

[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained the item: [shattered world stone] X1!]

A series of system prompts appeared. Chen You showed no joy on his face; instead, he started to feel a bit anxious.

He couldn't one-shot the monster anymore...

It took over ten seconds to kill a minor BOSS.

His fear of insufficient firepower flared up again.

If he couldn't one-shot this monster, wouldn't the next one be able to one-shot him?

No, he needed to go into seclusion and practice until he reached the Foundation Establishment stage!

The fourth level of Qi Refining was still too weak.

Having made up his mind, Chen You finally checked the reward he had just received.

[shattered world stone]

[Type: Secret Realm Core]

[Description: A fragment containing the source power of a secret realm. It seems it can be fused with other fragments of the same type.]

[Collect 10 Secret Realm Core fragments to go to any main city blacksmith to forge a special world item—the shattered world stone!]

"Hmm?"

Chen You couldn't help but pause.

The large fuses with the small, and the small fuses with even smaller ones?

Descendants upon descendants, endlessly?

This system, did he perhaps learn it from Pindao Dao?

Just as he put away the fragment and opened the system interface preparing to exit the dungeon, he noticed a new message.

It was from Arrow of the Moon.