249: Chapter 249 The Mark of Doom!

"So fast!"

Lu Yin's eyes sharpened as his attributes instantly shifted to Agility, and he swung the blade of eternal silence in a horizontal slash!

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal exploded! The blade of eternal silence collided with the apostle of misfortune's claws, sending dazzling sparks flying!

-1!

Perfect Parry!

But Lu Yin's heart sank.

The moment they made contact, a cold, viscous sensation spread along the blade.

It felt as if countless tiny insects were trying to burrow into his arm.

[Warning!]

[You are affected by 'Doom Mark'; Hit Rate reduced by 5%!]

"A troublesome curse."

Lu Yin let out a cold snort, shifting his blade's momentum from defense to offense.

"Dimensional Cut!"

A silver trail tore through space, instantly sweeping across the body of the apostle of misfortune!

-185,632,147!

A massive damage number rose as the apostle of misfortune let out a shrill shriek.

A deep wound, visible to the bone, was slashed across its chest, and dark purple blood sprayed out.

However, granulation tissue wriggled frantically at the wound, and it actually began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Touch of Curse!"

The apostle of misfortune shrieked, slamming both claws into the ground!

Rumble!

The ground beneath Lu Yin's feet instantly became muddy and pitch-black, and countless sharp claws made of shadows burst from the earth, reaching for his ankles!

The chilling aura felt as if it were about to freeze his blood!

Lu Yin retreated rapidly, his footwork like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the shadow claws piercing up from the ground.

When those claws missed their mark, they retracted into the pitch-black ground like melting asphalt, leaving behind corrosive pits that bubbled continuously.

"Breath of Corruption!"

Seeing its attack fail again, the apostle of misfortune's split maw swung wide open.

A thick, ink-black stream of air gushed out like a shockwave!

Wherever the airflow passed, even the space itself emitted a "sizzling" corrosive sound.

The grey, desolate land instantly turned charred black, emitting a nauseating stench.

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed; he didn't dare take this breath, which contained a powerful curse, head-on.

"Space-Time Conversion!"

With a flash of silver light, his figure swapped positions with a weathered boulder in the distance.

The black airflow slammed into the boulder, and the hard rock looked as if it had been doused in strong acid.

It dissolved and disintegrated at a visible rate, eventually turning into a puddle of pitch-black sludge.

[Ding! Doom Mark effect deepened! Current All Attributes reduced by 4%! Luck value has temporarily dropped!]

The system prompt sounded again; just inhaling a trace of that foul gas had deepened the effect of the curse.

This bizarre place was even more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

He raised his hand with a gesture, and two pitch-black magic circles appeared.

Krausi and Hill appeared simultaneously; among the Legion Commanders, they specialized in long-range attacks and might be unaffected by the opponent's curse.

"Krausi, Hill, long-range suppression!"

At Lu Yin's command, the two Legion Commanders immediately sprang into action.

"Eternal Night Starfall!"

Krausi drew back his bone bow, and an arrow that seemed carved from a concentrated night sky shot out silently.

Wherever the arrow passed, even light was swallowed, carrying the annihilating power of a withered star as it flew straight toward the apostle of misfortune.

"Annihilation Beam!"

Hill raised his staff high, and a pitch-black torrent condensed purely from the power of annihilation tore through space, racing alongside Krausi's arrow.

The apostle of misfortune seemed to sense the threat, letting out a piercing shriek as a layer of greyish shield emerged around its body.

Boom! Boom!

The two powerful attacks slammed into the shield, erupting with violent energy fluctuations.

The shield vibrated violently, but it actually managed to withstand the attack.

"As expected, it's not that simple."

Lu Yin's expression was grave.

The apostle of misfortune took this opportunity to let out a shriek from its mouth.

"Whispers of Misfortune!"

An invisible wave spread out with it at the center.

Lu Yin only felt his heart tighten, as if something bad was about to happen.

[Warning! Affected by Whispers of Misfortune, your All Attributes are reduced by an additional 2%!]

[Current All Attributes reduced by 6%!]

The attribute suppression was growing stronger; he could clearly feel his power draining away.

He frowned; for a single monster to be this difficult to handle, this place truly lived up to its reputation as a land where even Third Awakening Experts would perish.

Driven by necessity, Lu Yin summoned Shaka.

His Buddha light possessed the power to restrain evil and Yin energies; perhaps it would have a miraculous effect on the creatures here.

As soon as Shaka's figure appeared, a soft and solemn golden Buddha light blossomed around him.

The light was not dazzling, yet it carried a warm power that purified all things and soothed the soul.

It even dispersed some of the surrounding grey, oppressive air.

"Namo..."

Shaka pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist mantra in a low voice.

He did not open his eyes, but the cinnabar mole on his brow shone brightly, as if it saw through all the filth and curses of this place.

"Dharmachakra... Mudra..."

Shaka formed a hand seal, and the Buddha light around him suddenly grew intense.

A massive golden phantom of the Dharmachakra appeared behind him; the wheel rotated slowly, and countless intricate Sanskrit characters flowed and danced as if they had come to life.

"Om!"

With Shaka's low shout, the Dharmachakra suddenly accelerated its rotation, emitting a soft yet firm purifying power.

Wherever the golden light passed, all evil was repelled.

The apostle of misfortune's rotting mouth curled into a twisted arc, and it let out a raspy roar.

It spat out its Breath of Corruption once more, and the pitch-black mist collided violently with the golden light!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The holy golden light instantly evaporated the Breath of Corruption, then shone upon the body of the apostle of misfortune.

-285,632,411! -292,365,478!

“Howl!”

It let out a painful roar as two massive damage numbers jumped from above its head.

Shaka's Buddha light was like a scorching sun burning through the darkness, and the apostle of misfortune twisted violently within the golden glow.

The purifying power of the Dharmachakra Mudra completely penetrated its core, and the dark purple blood was evaporated away.

-256,987,413! -278,451,296!

Two more devastating damage values exploded, and the apostle of misfortune's body cracked inch by inch like broken pottery, finally turning to ash amidst a piercing shriek.

[Ding! You have killed an apostle of misfortune; Experience Points increased by 500,000!]

[Ding! Obtained loot: Doom Crystal!]

Shaka's offensive had been effective, allowing Lu Yin to breathe a small sigh of relief, but he remained vigilant.

After all, he could only complete Ailithos's request once he found the Altar of Misfortune.

He took a look at the loot.

[Doom Crystal (Material)]

[Use: Contains the power of misfortune; can be used to craft curse-type equipment or as an offering for certain rituals.]

"It seems this crystal should be related to the Altar of Misfortune."

Lu Yin put away the crystal and cast his gaze deep into the twisted forest of withered trees in the distance.

"Senior Shaka, do you have any special feelings regarding this place?"

Shaka stood still, his slightly closed eyes slowly opening, his brilliant golden pupils flowing with light that saw through falsehoods.

He didn't answer immediately but tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the whispers of this deathly silent wasteland.

"The curse here... is not a spring without a source."

Shaka's voice was ethereal and distant, carrying a trace of compassion.

"I can feel a vast, chaotic will that yet follows some sinister rule, hovering over this place."