Chapter 1: The Fall of the Level 5 Blood Knight!

With the stealth robe activated, Zorn moved through the dense, black fog of death like an invisible ghost.

Along the way, the corridor was littered with the corpses of the followers of the [Forbidden Bloodline].

Among them were even the bodies of several Tier 2 transcendents.

Zorn glanced at his sequence level.

Previously at 82% experience for Tier 2, it was now at 88%.

Using the [Evil Spirit Cataclysm] to slay transcendents and elevate his level was undoubtedly both fast and exhilarating.

If he could completely wipe out those desperate remnants lurking in the depths of the basement,

Zorn would not only be able to leverage the power of the cataclysm to directly advance to Tier 3, but he would also accumulate a surplus of Tier 3 experience.

At this moment, deep underground, a bitter battle was underway.

Hundreds of evil spirit creatures were roaming within the gray fog, searching for opportunities to attack.

Although the evil spirits lacked high intelligence, they were seasoned hunters.

They knew how to deal with high-tier prey.

Arriving at the broader second-tier area of the basement,

Zorn quickly assessed the current battlefield situation.

The Tier 2 death black fog, possessing strong lethality, combined with the charge of Tier 2 evil spirits,

had dealt devastating losses to the madmen of the [Forbidden Bloodline] who had broken open the sealed doors in a single wave.

After a brutal slaughter,

aside from the [Bloodline Assassin],

all the formidable acolytes who had barely survived the death black fog were dead.

The Tier 1 dreamweaver Zorn had captured earlier had not escaped alive either.

Even the two Tier 4 priests had sustained heavy injuries under the combined assault of the death poison fog and hundreds of evil spirit creatures.

Fortunately, the Tier 5 vice-bishop, [Blood Knight] Gregar, had slain over twenty evil spirits in succession, stabilizing the situation.

Surrounded by churning "Boiling Blood Battle Qi," Gregar—gripping a crimson "Bloodfang Knight Spear"—stood guard before the already-opened sealed door with an exceptionally gloomy expression.

Flanking him were two bloodline priests wearing robes, their auras clearly weakened as they panted heavily.

The power of the Tier 2 cataclysmic death black fog

was fatal to Tier 1 transcendents.

It would strip Tier 2 transcendents of their combat capability and cause them to slowly die.

Tier 3 transcendents would also see their strength severely diminished, making them highly vulnerable to the attacks of Tier 2 evil spirits.

Tier 4 transcendents with robust physiques would be affected to a lesser extent.

However, these two Tier 4 bloodline priests possessed mediocre physiques and suffered heavy impacts.

Under the onslaught of the evil spirits, their injuries were quite severe.

Separated by the thick death black fog from afar,

Zorn could even smell the flowing and dissipating wisps of their spiritual essence.

The scent of spiritual essence made the surrounding Tier 2 evil spirits restless and eager to move.

The Tier 5 [Blood Knight] Gregar possessed a formidable knightly physique and was virtually unaffected.

And this was precisely why the numerous evil spirits dared not launch a rash assault.

Mobilizing his boiling blood battle qi, [Blood Knight] Gregar glared like a torch through the dense death black fog.

He could sense those damned evil spirits watching him with covetous eyes.

He did not fear these Tier 2 evil spirits.

What terrified him was the mastermind behind this horrific cataclysm.

An evil spirit!

And an extremely powerful one at that.

Such a terrifying and formidable evil spirit could definitely kill him within this Tier 2 [Evil Spirit Cataclysm] environment.

Aware that he possessed ample experience, he knew that the damned evil spirit was lurking deep within the gray fog, biding its time for an opportunity.

If he wanted to escort this batch of "Forbidden Blood" out safely, he could not afford to give the enemy a chance.

Taking a deep breath, [Blood Knight] Gregar lowered his voice and questioned backward,

"Are you done yet, Reginald?"

A brisk voice came from behind the semi-obscured sealed door.

"It is done, Lord Gregar."

In response, [Bloodline Assassin] Reginald emerged, carrying a silver scaled-monster treasure chest.

An eerie, flowing silver sheen was also manifesting across his body.

Scanning the carrying Reginald with a swift glance,

[Blood Knight] Gregar nodded slightly, a trace of relief flashing deep within his pupils.

Reginald possessed a special bloodline power capable of digesting the "Forbidden Blood."

With proper cultivation, he was bound to achieve great things in the future.

"Stay behind me and watch out for that terrifying—"

Halfway through his sentence, [Blood Knight] Gregar’s expression abruptly shifted.

With a muffled "Clang!"

The Bloodfang Knight Spear violently drove into the hard flagstones before him, shattering a large area of the ground.

A wide, heavy "Blood Shield," bubbling with blood-red froth, rapidly materialized in front of him.

In an instant, gale-force winds rose.

"Wuwu..."

Resembling the low wailing of death.

Screech—

An intangible scythe blade blossomed upon the blood shield.

It stirred up the waves of blood on the shield and carved a deep crack directly into the Bloodfang Knight Spear held behind it.

"It's a forbidden spell!"

With a parched voice, [Blood Knight] Gregar drew a sharp breath and tightly gripped the crimson knight spear before him.

"And it's a forbidden spell augmented by cataclysmic power."

Wuwu...

The wailing winds grew increasingly ferocious, mingled with the lethal sharpness of the forbidden spell's scythe blade.

[Blood Knight] Gregar clenched his steel teeth, exerting all his strength to brace the crimson knight spear in his hands.

Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech...

The terrifying forbidden spell scythe blades struck continuously.

Every destructive impact against the blood shield and the spear forced him to give his absolute all.

Resisting that horrific forbidden spell while feeling the Grim Reaper whisper beside his ear,

he could not help but recall the days when he embarked on the path of knightly cultivation, squeezing out the very last drop of physical stamina yet persisting with his spear until late into the night, the starlight sprinkling down upon him.

He had ultimately conquered himself, tempered his battle qi, and gained mastery over the knight sequence.

"It will be the same this time!"

He roared.

Broad shoulders, calloused hands, surging boiling blood battle qi.

The blood shield he propped up with every ounce of his remaining strength

helped him withstand the continuous barrage of the forbidden spell augmented by cataclysmic power.

When the most violent flurry of scythe blades slammed into the blood shield,

[Blood Knight] Gregar knew the most grueling phase had passed.

As long as they endured the steadily weakening latter half of the forbidden spell, they would usher in the hope of escape.

Dawn!

Was right before them.

Just as [Blood Knight] Gregar was about to faintly catch that glimmer of dawn,

"Screech!"

A sharp, piercing edge suddenly stabbed straight into his lower back, plunging deep into the roots of his sequence and even reaching his soul.

The [Bloodline Assassin] whom he had protected behind his back delivered a fatal blow at the crucial moment when he was about to glimpse the dawn.

"Bloodline: Venom Quenching," "Stealth Assassination," "Desperate Strike."

The stacked effects of multiple skill abilities directly extinguished the [Blood Knight]’s hope of survival.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

[Blood Knight] Gregar’s majestic physique—which had withstood the forbidden spell—swayed precariously like a collapsing mountain.

"Why... Why... Why would you betray me?!"

His eyes split with rage, [Blood Knight] Gregar roared and bellowed like a thunderclap, his teeth grinding audibly.

His eyes bloodshot, his limbs rapidly expanding.

Desperation had completely engulfed him.

He abruptly abandoned the blood shield and knight spear he had relied upon for survival; since he could no longer survive, he would slaughter the damned traitor.

Turning around, the blood knight slammed a palm filled with grief and fury down upon the [Bloodline Assassin].

With a "Bang!"

[Bloodline Assassin] Reginald’s head shattered directly like a watermelon, dying with absolute crispness.

An assassin could never rival a knight in a direct confrontation.

Let alone a Tier 5 fighting a Tier 2.

The next moment, [Blood Knight] Gregar followed Reginald into the dust.

The gale of the forbidden spell swept past, destroying the blood shield and the spear, and cutting [Blood Knight] Gregar—whose sequence was already collapsing and chaotic—into fragments.

The Tier 5 [Blood Knight] had fallen!

Slashed to pieces alongside him were the two Tier 4 priests who had not contributed much.

Logically speaking, had these two Tier 4 priests been in prime condition, they could have definitely exerted power far exceeding that of the Tier 5 [Blood Knight].

Unfortunately, lacking robust physiques, they had been inflicted with the debilitating poison debuff of the ash-gray fog, severely crippling their strength.

Their spiritual essence had also been injured by the fierce initial charge of the evil spirits.

Ultimately, washed over by Zorn’s enhanced forbidden spell, they died harboring eternal grievances, making them arguably the most miserable participants in the entire ordeal!

Following the deaths of these individuals,

numerous evil spirits swarmed forward.

They frantically gnawed at the flesh and blood, devouring the meager lingering souls and spiritual essence contained within.

Zorn did not stop these evil spirits.

Within the domain of the [Evil Spirit Cataclysm], the vast majority of deaths, slaughters, lingering souls, and spiritual essences were reaped by the cataclysmic power and belonged entirely to Zorn.

No matter how greedily the evil spirits fed, they were only eating the scraps left behind.

Even so, these scraps were supreme delicacies to the evil spirits residing on the borders of the calamity-origin lands; being able to get a bite to eat was already a stroke of fortune.

Recalling the betrayal and wrathful final strike of the [Blood Knight] and the [Bloodline Assassin],

"What an unforgettable sight."

And this... was the terrifying power of an evil spirit wizard's authority.

Silently and imperceptibly subverting minds, twisting faiths, and delivering a fatal blow at the most critical juncture.

It was foreseeable that such events would continue to unfold.

In the original timeline, "Zorn Corick" had flagrantly abused this formidable tactic,

causing transcendents from various churches and other evil deity cults to be on their guard, rendering it difficult to achieve miraculous results.

Now, however, Zorn used it as a pivotal, decisive trump card.

The effect was unexpectedly wonderful.

Such covert methods needed to be deployed at critical junctures, requiring only a gentle eruption to trigger a cataclysmic, mountain-shattering effect.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Zorn cast a peripheral glance at the thick death black fog surrounding him, then walked toward the silver monster briefcase left behind by the [Bloodline Assassin].

The resources inside were the very essence of this large-scale [Rat Plague] incident.

As Zorn approached the silver monster briefcase, a sudden anomaly occurred.

A massive purple "Rune Hand," measuring a full six feet across, abruptly tore through the gray fog and lunged to grab Zorn.

"Mad Wizard!"

Zorn’s pupils constricted slightly.

That Tier 5 [Mad Wizard] had slipped in silently,

launching a sneak attack on Zorn at this critical moment.

With a "Bang!"

Zorn’s physical form was instantly shattered by the terrifying rune hand, flesh and blood flying everywhere as black fog billowed.