Chapter 458 - 214: The Final Battle, the King of Myriad Curses
Chapter 458: Chapter 214: The Final Battle, the King of Myriad Curses
He looked at the black mass of skeletons kneeling on the ground before him, then back at his eight Black Nightmare Race minions. They were trembling in fear of him, yet wore fawning smiles, practically begging for credit.
For a moment, Lin Ye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Then, Lin Ye began to consider a new path forward.
Killing and then converting was certainly a direct way to expand his Claw and Fang Legion.
But combat inevitably led to attrition.
The Rot Eye Race creatures he had summoned earlier had all been wiped out for one reason or another while exploring the first level of the labyrinth.
This new method, however, was bloodless—a perfect way to recruit new members, like a pyramid scheme!
The efficiency was absurdly high!
Lin Ye turned his attention back to the group of newly subjugated Curse Bone Race.
With a mere thought, he used the dual link from Soul-Catching and Dream-Planting and his power over life and death to issue a direct command to the LV.50 Curse Bone Race elite leading the group.
’Tell me everything about that Black Stone Divine Temple.’
The very instant the thought formed in Lin Ye’s mind, a vast and chaotic stream of information flooded his brain.
Unlike reading memory fragments, this was more like the other party was actively reporting to him, the information clear and logically coherent.
From this information, Lin Ye quickly pieced together a more complete picture of the situation.
These members of the Curse Bone Race were indeed not native to the Celestial Abyss.
They had all once been living, breathing humans.
And the reason they had been twisted into these monstrous, inhuman forms was all due to a single, supreme being—the King of Ten Thousand Curses.
This King of Ten Thousand Curses was the progenitor of all the Curse Bone Race.
It is said that he sits upon a Bone Throne, deep within the labyrinth, inside a temple-palace constructed entirely of black stone.
Any human who wanders into this place and finds themselves on the brink of death can receive his boon by offering their loyalty. They are then transformed into a member of the Curse Bone Race, gaining a near-eternal life.
In a sense, every member of the Curse Bone Race within the Painful Labyrinth, regardless of their strength, was a vassal of the King of Ten Thousand Curses!
Lin Ye’s brow furrowed slightly.
He delved deeper, hoping to find information about the Ark Fire Seed Source, but the results were disappointing.
The memories of these Curse Bone Race were filled with nothing but fanatical worship for the King of Ten Thousand Curses and their protracted turf war with the Black Nightmare Race. There were absolutely no clues related to the Fire Seed Source or the Sigma Ruins.
Even the Intelligent Mechanism Race, which Dongfang Zhen had specifically warned him about, never appeared in their memories.
’The Intelligent Mechanism Race... the Ark Fire Seed Source...’
Lin Ye felt that these two concepts seemed completely out of place in this bizarre labyrinth, a place filled with souls and curses.
’Perhaps the answer lies within that Black Stone Divine Temple.’
By integrating the memories of dozens of Curse Bone Race members, Lin Ye had already constructed a relatively complete map of the labyrinth in his mind, allowing him to lock down the approximate location of the Black Stone Divine Temple.
But actually reaching it would be no easy feat.
Deep within the fog, space was distorted, gravity was inverted, and it was occupied by untold numbers of Curse Bone Race and Black Nightmare Race armies.
Most importantly, for the King of Ten Thousand Curses to bear the title of "King," his power had to be absolutely unfathomable.
He probably also possessed that bizarre Damage Transfer ability.
But unlike the Curse Bone Race elite he had encountered earlier...
’This King of Ten Thousand Curses has an endless supply of vassals to back him up. Even if I find the temple, I probably won’t be able to do a thing to him.’
’No. I have to build up my strength first.’
Lin Ye made up his mind.
He resolved to build his very own, unrivaled Abyssal Army on this second level of the labyrinth!
...
「Seven days passed in a flash.」
Yanjing, Firewood Martial Hall branch.
In a complete reversal from seven days ago, this time it was Lv Yongze’s secretary who politely delivered an invitation into the hands of Xiao Yuanshan from the Kunlun Martial Hall.
The Firewood Martial Hall’s conference room was just as spacious and well-lit, though it lacked the solemn, deadly atmosphere of Kunlun’s.
This time, however, the roles of host and guest had been reversed.
"Mr. Xiao, it’s been a few days. You look even better than before."
Lv Yongze wore a warm smile as he personally poured a cup of fragrant tea for Xiao Yuanshan.
"You’re too kind, Mr. Lv."
Xiao Yuanshan adjusted his glasses, accepting the teacup with a composed expression.
"It’s mainly because the juniors are making us proud. That certainly saves us a lot of worry."
Though they exchanged pleasantries, the air crackled with an invisible tension.
After the pleasantries, the conversation naturally shifted to the current preliminary tournament.
"Speaking of which, this competition has certainly gone on longer than expected," Lv Yongze said casually, gently blowing the foam from his tea.
"A B-rank mission is, after all, a bit difficult for such young members."
"Headquarters has already made a decision. Today is the final deadline."
"Regardless of whether the Fire Seed Source is ultimately found, the competition will end in twenty-four hours. The final scores will be tallied based on points."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuanshan nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised by the news.
For the past seven days, members of both Martial Halls had been exploring the stone bridge labyrinth on the second level.
The environment there was far more treacherous and bizarre than on the first level, and the strength of the Celestial Abyss Race had grown exponentially.
Not to mention, the elite squads from both sides had clashed in several sizable, direct conflicts over the past seven days.
By now, only the elite of the elite remained in the competition.
On Kunlun’s side, including Zhang Daoming, eleven members remained.
The situation for Xinhuo was even more bleak, with only seven members left.