CXnovel Chapter 353 Leaving the City, Sinking into the Swamp
Chapter 353 Leaving the City, Sinking into the Swamp
The broken stone pillars leaned crookedly towards the darkening sky, and the once exquisite saint reliefs on the broken arches were now blurred. Only some holy runes in the corners still stubbornly emitted an extremely faint, warm golden halo.
This place was once the center of faith in Holy Radiance City, but now only ruins remain, silently telling the story of the ruthlessness of time and disaster.
Emily sat down on a fallen, relatively flat pillar base, placing the [Holy Flame Judgment Hammer] horizontally on her lap.
She didn't pray; she just sat quietly, her gaze sweeping over the dilapidated buildings and looking up at the sky.
As dusk settled, the sky gradually changed from deep blue to inky purple, and the first few stars began to twinkle in the distant sky.
A soft and pure golden light flowed silently from Emily's body. It was not dazzling, but incredibly warm and firm, like a lamp that naturally lit up in the dark night, illuminating an area of several meters around her.
The light enveloped her pale golden hair and silver armor, casting a soft halo over her serene profile.
The night wind blew through the ruins, carrying a soft sob and ruffling the hair on her forehead.
Emily's gaze seemed to pierce through the ruins and the night before her, directed towards the impending war that would engulf the entire continent, towards the conspiracies that might be unfolding, and towards the countless players like herself who were still striving, struggling, and searching for hope in the final moments.
After a long while, she spoke softly, her voice low but echoing clearly before the silent ruins:
"Preliminary rounds..."
May the holy light illuminate the path for more lost souls.
"Instead of merely witnessing yet another depraved revelry that begins with fear and greed."
As she finished speaking, she withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyes slightly. The warhammer on her lap seemed to sense its master's thoughts, emitting a barely audible, clear, and melodious ringing sound.
Starlight and holy light intertwined, illuminating the resolute and solitary figure before the ruins, like a flag that would never fall, standing silently on this continent about to be swept away by chaos and slaughter.
Night completely engulfed Holy Radiance City.
......
Star Moon City
The pale blue system panel in front of Lin Tian emitted a stable yet cold light.
The preliminary announcement interface was still open, and the text about the chaotic battles in 100 zones, the brutal eliminations, and the points-based advancement described the survival rules that would unfold in seven days.
His gaze swept over the last line of the countdown: [167 hours and 22 minutes remaining until the start of the first stage of the preliminary rounds...]
Then, he calmly closed the interface.
There was no excitement, no tension or anxiety, not even the slightest bit of extraneous emotional fluctuation.
He stood up, the hem of his robe flowing like the night, without a single wrinkle as he moved.
With a slight thought, he connected with the space inside his mount.
A deep, powerful tiger roar seemed to come from the void. It was not deafening, but it carried the majesty of the king of beasts and a strange resonance, as if it were an energy vibration.
The light in the courtyard was slightly distorted, and the next moment, a colossal figure appeared out of thin air and landed steadily in front of Lin Tian.
【Blazing Flame Pattern White Tiger】.
Its snow-white fur was still fluffy like a blanket woven from moonlight, but the orange-red flame patterns on it were subtly different from before.
The edges of the markings were no longer just leaping flames, but faintly flowed with a layer of dark gold color, as if condensed energy.
Its crimson-gold eyes were even deeper, and the golden border on the "king" character on its forehead seemed to contain the brilliance of molten lava. When its four hooves landed, the translucent, fiery footprints burned the air.
The white tiger lowered its majestic head, affectionately nuzzled Lin Tian's arm, and let out a satisfied purr. Warm air wafted over it, carrying the warmth of flames.
Lin Tian patted its sturdy neck and climbed on top of it.
"Celia," he called softly.
In a flash of light, the succubus girl appeared beside him, her face filled with her usual joy and affection: "Brother Tian, shall we set off?"
"Yes, let's go to the Sinking Swamp," Lin Tian said succinctly.
Around the Swamp of Despair, there are several areas marked as being inhabited by monsters of level 60-70.
Cycling through the main thoroughfare of Star Moon City.
Along the wide streets, magical lampposts were already lit, and various functional buildings were brightly lit. NPCs lived, traded, and patrolled according to established procedures.
Occasionally, high-level NPC guards or mages would cast inquiring glances, but after sensing Lin Tian's unfathomable yet naturally integrated aura into the city, they would all respectfully look away.
The white tiger's hooves, hot and sharp, echoed crisply on the polished stone road as it passed through the magnificent city gate, leaving the city's outline behind.
Submerged in swamps and surrounding areas.
This vast and treacherous land is home to monsters of level 48-53 in the core of the Fallen Swamp, but the surrounding areas, including the Withered Woods, Bone Shoals, and Misty Mudflats, are teeming with elite creatures and regional bosses of level 60-65.
For any player team at this stage, this is a perilous place that requires them to cautiously explore with their lives at risk. The death and corrosive energy floating in the air is enough to cause those with slightly inferior equipment to continuously lose health.
More than an hour later, Lin Tian was the first to reach the edge of the Sinking Swamp.
Without pausing, the white tiger carried him like a streak of fire, sweeping across the pale green poisonous miasma that permeated the swamp, heading straight for a deeper area where the energy fluctuations were more obscure—the withered woodland.
The woods were filled with an air of decay; the trees were twisted and withered, their bark covered in dark purple fungal spots. Lin Tian leaped off the tiger's back, signaling Celia to roam freely and gather materials, before venturing into the forest alone.
Almost the instant they stepped into the woods, several vines carrying rotten leaves and sharp thorns lashed out from several [Demonized Soul-Eating Tree Spirits] (Lv.62, Normal) disguised as dead trees. The speed was so fast that it could instantly kill a tank of the same level.
Lin Tian didn't even lift his eyelids, nor did he stop walking. He merely moved his mind slightly, and the invisible energy field around him trembled gently.
"The Guiding Force of All Things".
There was no earth-shattering noise, but within a spherical area with a radius of over 100 meters centered on him, the space seemed to be instantly kneaded and collapsed inward by an invisible giant hand!
All the tree spirits within the area, the withered poisonous spiders (Lv.60) lurking under the fallen leaves, and the rotten-winged night owls (Lv.61) hovering on the withered branches, whether ordinary or elite, were all pulled as if by a tremendous force, staggering and soaring involuntarily, forcibly dragged towards Lin Tian's location.