Chapter 656 - 417: Looming Darkness

Chapter 656: Chapter 417: Looming Darkness

He ran up a nearby slope to look back in the direction he had come from. The area was peaceful, with no sign of any strange darkness. Still, the memory of what had just happened made him feel that the place was fraught with hidden dangers, and that its tranquility was merely a facade.

Not knowing anything about the enemy, Zhou Chen chose to play it safe and skirted around the area.

The rest of the journey was smooth. He didn’t encounter any difficult enemies, only a small monster outpost filled with corrupted human soldiers. Their faces were covered in black filth, their eyes were scarlet, and they attacked anyone on sight. He put them all out of their misery.

He also reached Level 12 and continued to put his Attribute Points into Intelligence.

His 37 points in Intelligence, combined with the Magic Master’s Scepter, made his Magic damage absolutely explosive. He could take down even an Elite Monster in a few hits. However, his health was extremely low; a moment of carelessness and he could be killed by a common mob on the side of the road.

A classic glass cannon.

Leaving the cellar, Zhou Chen suddenly saw someone on horseback galloping toward him from a distance. He immediately assumed a combat stance, but the rider showed no intention of attacking. About fifty meters away, he reined his horse to a stop.

"Excuse me, but why are you wearing Vine Witch Shafali’s clothes?" the man on the horse asked.

He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in an outfit resembling a Minstrel’s, with a sword at his waist. He appeared travel-worn, but his voice was elegant and his attitude was polite.

Zhou Chen paused for a moment before answering, "I killed Vine Witch Shafali."

"You killed her? Oh, heavens... That’s... that’s astonishing! She was a Magic Master, and her power grew even stronger after being corrupted by an evil force. Even the Dean was no match for her..." The man suddenly realized something. "Could it be! Are you an outsider?"

Zhou Chen nodded.

"An outsider... Ah, thinking about it, the timing is right... Hello, my name is Blei. I’m a teacher at the Magic Academy, and I’m on my way back there now," the man introduced himself.

"My name is Zhou Chen. I’m also heading to the Magic Academy to investigate the matter of Shafali." Zhou Chen decided not to mention the Valley of Miasma Temple Key for the time being.

"In that case, we’re heading the same way. Let’s go together."

"Alright."

The man named Blei was naturally sociable and very enthusiastic along the way. He chatted a lot with Zhou Chen, mentioning that he had once been to a Satellite City, which was a real eye-opener, and that he dreamed of one day adventuring in the World outside.

"I know a little about Shafali’s situation. She was once the most brilliant Plant Magic Master at the Magic Academy. She even researched plants that could resist Abyssal Contamination. But after a battle against the monsters from the Royal City, she started acting stranger and stranger, often cursing at people. I heard she dabbled in forbidden Magic and was locked up by the Dean and the others. Later, she somehow managed to escape the academy, killing many Mages in the process.

The next time I saw her was on a wanted poster. By then, she had already become the Vine Witch and had just massacred a village."

Blei sighed. "Sigh... I just don’t know why she turned out like that."

"It was because of something called the Desecration Emblem," Zhou Chen explained. "That Emblem causes mental contamination. She must have been gradually corrupted while studying it."

"The Desecration Emblem?" Blei thought for a moment, then suddenly grew wary. "Is it a stone fragment with a lot of strange patterns on it? The kind that gives you a headache if you look at it for too long?"

"Yes."

"Dammit..." Blei said, pulling an object from his waist pouch. It was the Desecration Emblem!

"A wandering Merchant gave it to me. He said it contained ancient knowledge that only someone of profound Intelligence could comprehend... Dammit, and I even gave him a piece of meat for it! I’m going to kill him!" Blei gritted his teeth in anger.

’What...’ Zhou Chen was stunned. He quickly asked, "How long have you had the Desecration Emblem?"

"Two days. I got dizzy the first time I looked at it, so I haven’t looked at it since."

"Then the contamination probably isn’t too severe yet."

"Outsider, it’s yours. I don’t want to keep holding on to something so dangerous," Blei said, tossing the Desecration Emblem to Zhou Chen.

--[Desecration Emblem: A stone fragment with bizarre patterns that gives off a sacrilegious and ominous feeling. Looking at it for too long will cause dizziness.

This is the second Desecration Emblem you have obtained. Upon comparison, this appears to be a fragment of something. If more Emblems are found, perhaps the complete object can be assembled.

The heavy, blasphemous knowledge will corrode the owner, like an inescapable Curse.]

’Huh? The description changed. The Desecration Emblem is a fragment?’ Zhou Chen noted this and examined the bizarre patterns on the Emblem. It did indeed look like part of a larger design, but it didn’t match the piece he already had.

"Where did you meet this wandering Merchant?" Zhou Chen asked Blei.

"A small chapel outside Dusk City. He’s probably long gone by now," Blei said through gritted teeth. He had almost followed in Shafali’s footsteps. If he ever saw that wandering Merchant again, he would definitely demand an explanation.

Zhou Chen nodded. "I’ll help you clear the mental contamination."

Blei was surprised for a second, then quickly thanked him. "Thank you... You’re a really good person."

’Cleanse Blei of his mental contamination,’ Zhou Chen wished internally.

[Wish Value -100]

’It seems the mental contamination Blei suffered wasn’t very severe.’

Blei took a sharp breath and rubbed his brow. "I feel like something was just purified. My mind feels much clearer. Thank you."

[Wish Value +5]

"Here, take this as my thanks," Blei said, handing over a Magic Scroll.

--[Swift Sword Slash: Forms a Magic Sword to perform a rapid horizontal sweep.

One of the most famous spells of the Demon Swordsman, Blei.

Required Attributes: 22 Intelligence, 18 agility]

’It’s a pretty good Skill, but my agility Attribute is still a bit too low. I can’t use it yet...’ Zhou Chen put away the Magic Scroll.

·

A little over ten minutes later, the two of them reined in their horses, their gazes fixed grimly on the distance.

A vast expanse of dark fog coiled there.

Zhou Chen opened his map to check. That was the location of the Magic Academy, but he couldn’t see it from where he stood. The grand and magnificent Magic Academy had simply vanished into thin air.

"The academy must have activated its containment Magic and entered a separate dimension. It must be under attack," Blei said, frowning at the darkness. "What in the world is that stuff..."

Zhou Chen felt that this darkness was related to the one that had attacked him earlier. The two locations weren’t far apart. If this dark fog could extend a part of itself, it could easily have reached the spot where he was attacked.

"Let’s circle the area. Remember to keep your distance."

The two of them began to circle the perimeter. They soon spotted the light of a fire in the ruins of a nearby building. Inside, a middle-aged man in Mage’s robes was warming himself by the flames.

Hearing the noise, the middle-aged Mage grabbed his Magic Staff and took a fighting stance, but his expression turned to shock the next second. "Blei?"

"Fowler?" Blei recognized the man, then turned to Zhou Chen and said, "This is a colleague of mine from the Magic Academy."

"Fowler, what happened at the academy?" Blei asked hurriedly.

"I returned to the academy three days ago, and it was already like this. I didn’t dare venture into the darkness, just observed it from the outside for a while. But then that bizarre darkness suddenly expanded. If I hadn’t run fast enough, I’d probably be dead by now."

Fowler sat back down on a rock, a look of lingering fear on his face. "I just kept running on my Spirit Horse. I ran and ran, and I could hear hungry roars coming from behind me. I’m sure there’s a terrifying monster in that darkness...

"While I was escaping, I passed through the territory of a Cyclops. When I returned later, I found the Cyclops had been devoured, leaving only a skeleton behind. The monster from the darkness must have eaten it."

"Did you get a clear look at the monster?" Zhou Chen asked. He was certain that his own attacker had been that very same monster from the darkness.

"No," Fowler shook his head. "I was just focused on running. I ran all the way to a distant chapel. There was a strange woman there who told me to hide for half an hour, saying the monster from the darkness would leave if it couldn’t find me.

"I suspect she knew something, but she vanished right after she finished speaking."