Chapter 435: Shifting Shadows in the Dungeon

Bang!!

Underground, Floor 10.

Like walking on a knife’s edge as he expertly dodged the lurching Otherworldly Ghost, Yenir suddenly spun around. In his hand, the Elemental Blade shifted into a frosty state, and in an instant, a single strike pierced the creature’s skull.

With a swift backhand kick, he sent the other Otherworldly Ghost—wielding a Giant Axe—flying like a cannonball. A flash of crimson flickered in its eyes.

In that very moment, his spirit transformed into a tangible shockwave that made the Otherworldly Ghost howl in agony.

Splutter

A flash of silver vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Seizing on the enemy’s momentary lapse, a dagger streaked past the sound barrier and suddenly pierced through its brow.

The battle was over.

Without wasting a bit of Spirit Energy, Yenir exhaled slowly, a weighty determination flashing in his eyes.

Compared to earlier encounters, the deeper he ventured, the more formidable the Otherworldly Ghosts became. They not only grew stronger but also started using equipment and tactical maneuvers.

Had it not been for their true identity as Otherworldly Ghosts, these monsters would have been no different from Awakeners.

“Fighting foes with a brain certainly ups the challenge…”

With another resounding bang, his sword shattered the ice-encased corpse of an Otherworldly Ghost. Yenir shook his head and instinctively cast a glance to the southwest.

That was the direction of Yinglong’s team.

According to Blood Nightingale’s report, Yinglong and his comrades were about to move to the next floor.

“It’s about time. One more cycle and we can consider bringing Li Dafu into play.”

“Beyond this point, it’s impossible to deploy any NPCs.”

Weighing numerous scenarios in his mind, Yenir slowly sheathed his sword as Zhang Ke and the others watched in awe.

The deeper he delved into the dungeon, the harder it became to send NPCs from above to simulate missions. Besides, communicating with the teams already down there was no simple matter.

He had thought about having Zhang Ke and his crew get close to Yinglong, but too overt an approach would easily give them away.

Fortunately, after continuously ‘handing out’ three pieces of Blue Equipment, Yinglong had accepted that better quest rewards required a small price.

At first, Yinglong’s team found it odd, yet they never suspected another party was venturing into the dungeon with them. Even Yinglong’s sharp instincts missed the clue.

“At this pace, by the time I nearly collect all the Core of the Otherworldly Ghost, Li Dafu’s side will make their move.”

“Floor Twelve or Thirteen…”

“Maybe we can even level up the Sword God System in the final floors!”

A subtle surge of excitement stirred within him.

Yenir couldn’t help but steal a glance at the Sword God System panel.

To conserve his strength, he hadn’t used a single SSS-Level Sword Technique in these battles—saving his opportunities for the upgraded skills once the system leveled up!

If the upgrade granted a huge boost in power, he might finally have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with Yinglong!

“Now, there’s only one issue.”

“Does this dungeon even offer a Legendary Suit reward? What exactly is the final difficulty?”

“At present, it seems there’s one lurking Otherworldly Ghost, and Yinglong’s team already has two extra human NPCs in the dungeon. Just like Zhang Ke and Anya, it could be one ghost per person—or even two ghosts.”

“Going further, there’s a high chance we’ll encounter another one…”

“If two lurking Otherworldly Ghosts stick around and then strike at the end, everyone except Yinglong is in for huge trouble!”

Lost in thought, Yenir instinctively glanced over at Zhang Ke and his group.

Although these people weren’t particularly strong, they were no match for Third-Stage Awakened combatants.

Yet in battle, if betrayal struck from behind, even a tiny slip-up could be fatal—especially as the power of the Otherworldly Ghosts only escalated in the final floors.

Yenir could picture the outcome with even the slightest twitch of his toe.

In the midst of a brutal brawl against multiple Third-Stage Mid-Level and higher Otherworldly Ghosts, if the NPCs backing them suddenly faltered—even for just 0.1 seconds—it would spell utter disaster!

“First, secure the fragments and the Renmane…”

“But I also need to move closer to Yinglong. Uncle Liang has got to come down too…”

After a rapid moment of thought, Yenir quickly made up his mind.

So far, his plan had been unfolding perfectly. Now it was time to act when the moment was right.

Just the thought of upgrading the system and skyrocketing his combat power filled him with a rush of excitement. No matter what, even if he didn’t secure the Legendary Suit this time, he was confident he could face high-level opponents head-on after exiting.

After dispatching so many Otherworldly Ghosts, his strength would easily be at least Third-Stage Mid-Level outside!

Combined with the upgraded Sword God System, his power boost would be phenomenal!

………….