248: Chapter 248 Apostle of Misfortune!

Sacred Dragon Academy, Lu Yin had been there once before.

This time, he was familiar with the way and went straight to the academy gates.

After making some inquiries, Lu Yin stepped into Bai Zhengguo's office.

Inside the office, sandalwood incense curled in the air.

Bai Zhengguo sat upright in a mahogany chair, hands clasped on the desk, his gaze piercing as he sized up Lu Yin.

Lu Yin felt a bit unnerved by that sharp gaze.

"Hello, Dean Bai."

"Sit."

Bai Zhengguo nodded and pointed to the chair opposite him; Lu Yin sat down obediently.

The two fell into silence. Bai Zhengguo's gaze swept over Lu Yin from time to time, making Lu Yin feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

But just as he was about to speak, Bai Zhengguo suddenly spoke.

"How far have things developed with Lu'er?"

Lu Yin was stunned by Bai Zhengguo's sudden question, a rare trace of awkwardness appearing on his face.

He coughed lightly, steadied his mind, and said frankly.

"Dean Bai, Lu'er and I are still just ordinary friends."

Bai Zhengguo narrowed his eyes, a hint of scrutiny in his gaze.

"Kid, every time that girl mentions you, she can't hide the light in her eyes."

"I don't care if you're ordinary friends or whatever your relationship is; if I find out my precious granddaughter is sad because of you, I definitely won't go easy on you."

"So from now on, no matter what you do, you must consider things carefully."

Lu Yin's expression remained unchanged, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Rest assured, Dean Bai, I will never betray Lu'er's trust."

Lu Yin promised solemnly.

"Hmph, as long as you understand."

Bai Zhengguo snorted softly, the sharpness in his eyes softening slightly.

Then he stood up, his hands forming a complex seal, and a faint dragon-shaped phantom suddenly emerged around him.

"Dragon Soul Protection!"

As Bai Zhengguo's low voice rang out, a golden light surged from his palm, transforming into a small golden dragon phantom.

After circling once in the air, the phantom plunged directly into Lu Yin's chest.

Lu Yin felt a warm current spread from his heart to his limbs and bones.

His soul felt as if it were wrapped in a tough membrane, and the trace of oppression he had felt due to the rumors of the Everlasting Desolation Plain vanished instantly.

"This protection can significantly delay the erosion of the curse, but it's not omnipotent."

Bai Zhengguo finished his stance, his face slightly pale; clearly, performing this Awakening Skill took a significant toll.

"In the Everlasting Desolation Plain, remember not to stay for more than seven days."

"Beyond this time limit, the effect of Dragon Soul Protection will weaken significantly, and the curse will surge in like a tide."

Lu Yin felt the warm power flowing through his body and nodded solemnly: "I understand. Thank you, Dean Bai."

Leaving the Sacred Dragon Academy, Lu Yin went directly to the long-distance teleportation array established by the military.

As a special zone, the Everlasting Desolation Plain had a dedicated teleportation channel, but it was usually closed.

"Identity verification passed, Major General Lu Yin."

The officer guarding the teleportation array handed over a dark purple rune stone.

"This is a positioning talisman Commander Xiao asked me to give you. If you encounter fatal danger, crushing it will force a teleportation back."

"Alright, thank you."

Lu Yin took the rune stone and expressed his thanks.

Then he stood at the center of the teleportation array, and the surrounding runes lit up one by one.

"Good luck to you."

The officer saluted and activated the teleportation.

Buzz!

A pulling sensation from spatial distortion came over him. When Lu Yin opened his eyes again, he was already in a gray and dim world.

The sky was leaden gray, as if shrouded by a thick layer of dust, with neither sun nor moon in sight.

The ground was parched and cracked, with withered, gray grass sparsely scattered across the grayish-black soil.

In the distance was a forest of twisted, dead trees, their branches reaching toward the sky like desperate arms.

The air was filled with the smell of decay and dust, and even the wind carried a bone-chilling coldness.

[Ding! You have entered a special zone: Everlasting Desolation Plain]

[Warning! You are affected by the Doom Mark; all attributes are currently reduced by 5%]

Buzz!

At the same time the system prompt popped up, a golden dragon phantom emerged on his body.

The golden dragon phantom circled Lu Yin once before finally turning into a faint golden light and merging into his body.

Wherever the warm current passed, the feeling of oppression originally caused by the Doom Mark lightened significantly.

[Dragon Soul Protection active; Doom Mark effect reduced to 2%]

Lu Yin nodded slightly; Bai Zhengguo's Awakening Skill was indeed worthy of its reputation.

He looked around; the deathly silence of the Everlasting Desolation Plain was far beyond imagination, making even the sound of the wind seem exceptionally harsh.

"Altar of Misfortune..."

Lu Yin muttered under his breath, the blade of eternal silence quietly appearing in his hand.

He stepped forward, the ground beneath his feet cracked like an old man's skin.

With every step, fine dust was kicked up, drifting in the dim light.

Lu Yin traveled across the Everlasting Desolation Plain for about an hour, and the surrounding scenery barely changed at all.

The gray sky, the cracked earth, the twisted dead forest—everything exuded a suffocating silence.

[Ding! The Doom Mark has deepened; all attributes are currently reduced by 3%]

The system's prompt sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.

Lu Yin could feel the golden membrane formed by Dragon Soul Protection resisting some invisible force, making a faint sizzling sound.

Suddenly, he stopped.

In the dead forest not far ahead, a faint whimpering sound could be heard.

The sound didn't seem like the wind; it was more like the mourning cry of some creature.

The whimpering was intermittent, like a dull knife tearing through cloth, sounding particularly harsh on the deathly silent plain.

Lu Yin gripped the blade of eternal silence tightly and slowly approached the source of the sound.

The branches of the dead forest were twisted and intertwined, casting hideous shadows in the dim light.

As he drew closer, the whimpering became clearer, mixed with the sound of flesh being torn.

Rounding an exceptionally thick dead tree, Lu Yin's pupils constricted.

In a clearing ahead, a twisted figure was crouched on the ground, gnawing on some dark red meat.

The figure wore tattered gray robes, and its exposed skin was an unhealthy bluish-gray, covered in twisted black patterns.

Its fingers were abnormally long, with hooked tips, tearing at a piece of flesh whose original form was unrecognizable.

As if sensing Lu Yin's presence, the figure suddenly snapped its head up.

A distorted face came into view.

It had no nose, only two pitch-black holes; its lips were split to its ears, revealing jagged teeth.

What was most unsettling were its eyes—completely black with no whites, like two bottomless black holes.

[apostle of misfortune (The Cursed)]

[Level: 95]

[Strength: 125,000, Constitution: 980,000]

[Agility: 115,000, Spirit: 1,350,000]

[Skills: Whispers of Misfortune, Touch of the Curse, Breath of Corruption]

[Trait: Doom Mark: Attacks have a chance to inflict the Misfortune status, making the target more susceptible to curse effects]

"Out... sider..."

The apostle of misfortune let out a raspy whisper, its voice like sandpaper rubbing together, carrying an uncomfortable resonance.

It dropped the piece of meat, stood up unsteadily, and its pitch-black eyes locked onto Lu Yin.

"Become... a sacrifice..."

Before its words had even faded, the apostle of misfortune's figure suddenly blurred, charging forward as a gray shadow!

Its speed was so fast that it far exceeded the level suggested by its attributes!