Chapter 463: The Trap Unveiled

What is this!?

Utter terror!

Just when they were about to slay the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch, a sudden aberration intervened. Yinglong, blasted away by the recoil, was gripped by sheer horror.

Damn it!

What on earth is going on!?

What is that orb?! And what is that shield?!

After fighting for so long, had he only reached Stage Two already!?

This beast can transform too?!

Having faced countless dungeon monsters, he had encountered his fair share of tricky beasts—ones that would go berserk when near death or even self-destruct upon dying.

Many Awakeners have perished under such conditions.

Is this the true difficulty of this dungeon?! Does that mysterious NPC, who had been absent until now, act at this stage?

Before they could ponder further, the only two remaining Ghost Hunters suddenly shouted in urgency:

“Break the orb!”

“It’s the source of the Otherworldly Ghost’s power!”

“Break the orb! It can stop the monster from reviving!”

No sooner had they spoken than the Second-Stage Dungeon Ghost Hunters charged forward, vigorously attacking the orb with their weapons.

Yet, no matter how hard they tried, the orb remained unyielding, as if it were invincible.

Orb?!

Twelve of them? Plus a black one as well?

As if following a silent hint, and observing the impregnable shield alongside the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch on the verge of revival, Yinglong instantly understood what needed to be done.

Is this one of the challenges to clear the dungeon?

After inflicting heavy damage on the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch, must the others, upon entering Stage Two, combine their efforts to break the orb and halt its revival?

These Ghost Hunters couldn’t shatter it, but…

“Zhang Yuan!”

“Everyone, strike together!”

Almost on instinct, Yinglong quickly changed direction and lunged at the orb.

His remaining spirit energy burst forth without reserve, converging into spear-like jets of blood that relentlessly targeted the densest part of the black sphere.

Meanwhile, the Awakener members of the Bloodshadow Legion caught on and rushed their attacks on the orb as well.

The aberration had unfolded far too quickly.

They realized that if they couldn’t shatter the orb and stop the Otherworldly Ghost from reviving, they were all doomed!

In the panic, no one noticed that their attacks, upon striking the orb, subtly transformed into fine strands that swiftly seeped into the body of the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch.

This is…

Hidden inside the Stone Coffin, Yenir watched the chaotic scene unfold and felt a sudden jolt of realization.

He understood that his earlier judgment had been partly wrong!

Unlike Yinglong and the others—who were too preoccupied with the threat of death—Yenir, who had long speculated about when the Otherworldly Ghost Stalker would strike, suddenly grasped the true nature of these ghostly traps!

“It wasn’t a rebel ambush!”

“It was a calculated maneuver to lead the Awakeners to this point!”

“The Otherworldly Ghost Monarch essentially requires the Awakeners’ spirit energy to revive!”

“Or perhaps it’s meant to shatter the true seal by using Yinglong and the others!”

Fixing his gaze on the orb, Yenir instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.

No matter which theory he entertained, he knew that the moment the orb shattered might well mark the end for everyone.

The Otherworldly Ghost Monarch, seemingly revived to a stronger state through the orb despite its severe injuries, was nothing more than an elaborate act.

If you think about it, even its severe injuries could have been feigned!

“What a clever tactic!”

Murmuring a silent compliment, Yenir—now fully aware of the trap—relaxed his clenched fists.

He had wondered how these ghosts could control Awakeners using nothing more than a crumbling stone—it seemed utterly absurd…

Especially Yinglong…

A proud Peak Third-Stage warrior shouldn’t have his body so easily commandeered, no matter how skilled he is.

He even speculated that perhaps Yinglong was being lured into a sneak attack, suffering critical injuries only to have his will devoured by the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch.

But now, it was clear that these ghosts were even more devious!

“First, feign severe injury to trick Yinglong into believing that victory was within reach.”

“Then, when disaster strikes, plant the idea that they must deplete all their strength to shatter the orb…”

“Moreover, with these ghosts intentionally sending themselves to their deaths, who would suspect that the NPCs were rigged? In a blend of truths and lies…”

“That way, all decisions appear to be Yinglong’s own, and he’d never suspect anything awry with the orb…”

“When his strength is exhausted and he foolishly grips that stone, it’ll be his downfall…”

At that moment, Yenir felt a wave of dread—fearing that, trailing behind Yinglong, he had inadvertently caused the demise of the first batch of ghosts.

Otherwise, he’d most likely have fallen for the trap himself.

“Enemies with wits are far scarier than those relying solely on brute strength…”

After clearing his thoughts, Yenir drew a deep breath.

“What should we do?”

“If we don’t stop these attackers from assaulting the orb, this dungeon is doomed to fail!”

“If we have to escape, we must do it now—there won’t be enough time otherwise.”

“If I run out now to warn Yinglong…”

“Impossible!”

“Time is too short—whether Yinglong believes me or not doesn’t matter. Not considering me an enemy is already a bonus.”

“If I were Yinglong, I’d suspect that the person who just sprang up was the trap!”

“So…”

“Who should we kill?!”

Instinctively, he glanced at the skill panel.

Yenir’s eyes flashed as if he were making a critical decision.

“A gamble? The only way out now is to eliminate those attacking the orb.”

“Twelve of them? Activating Divine Rage will be more than enough.”

“The only issue is—who will receive the Divine Rage?”

“Yinglong is already severely weakened! If I delay any further, I might lose the chance to instantly take him down!”

“But I wouldn’t be able to handle the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch afterward!”

“If I use Divine Rage to eliminate the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch, I could even claim the final reward!”

“The risk is… will Yinglong turn on me?”

“I only have one shot…”

“Is there any optimal solution?”

Deep in thought, Liang Lie—hiding on the other side—seemed to grasp exactly what Yenir was contemplating.

“Decide and act!”

……………..

Though time was short for Yenir, it stretched endlessly in his mind.

In just a few breaths, determination flashed in his eyes with a steely glint.

“Fusion!”

“Sky Rift Radiance fused with Dimensional Slash!”

Fortune favors the bold.

Having made up his mind in an instant, Yenir resolved to first eliminate those Third-Stage fighters attacking the orb.

Then, he would activate Divine Rage to instantly take down the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch!

Taking down the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch would yield far greater gains than eliminating Yinglong!

The sole challenge now was: how to instantly dispatch twelve Third-Stage fighters!

No, ten would suffice!

Taking down Zhang Yuan instantly wasn’t feasible—if the fused skill couldn’t kill him, it would be disastrous.

At that thought, Yenir decisively targeted the remaining ten Third-Stage Beginners.

“In their original form, Sky Rift Radiance and Dimensional Slash can at most instantly eliminate four to six foes! Their positions are too scattered… I only have a split second to act!”

“If the fused skill can trigger Divine Rage in one go, then I’ll take the gamble!”

With that thought, Yenir merged Sky Rift Radiance and Dimensional Slash together, fixing his gaze on the Fusion Panel.

In his estimation, since both skills are sequential, their fused effect should also be sequential—and highly covert!

“Beep. Confirm fusion of skills?”

“This fusion: SSS-Level Sky Rift Radiance and SSS-Level Dimensional Slash.”

“Post-fusion, the original skills vanish. Choose wisely.”

“Confirm!”

A low shout escaped him as two dazzling beams—visible only to Yenir—erupted in an instant.

On the skill panel, two skills—in silver and white—interwove rapidly as they merged.

Like colliding stars, a new skill radiating with a silvery-blue glow materialized on the panel in the next second.

“Beep. Fusion successful.”

“New skill acquired: Dimensional Surge!”

“Dimensional Surge (SSS-Level).”

“Consumes 6000 mental points and 3000 spirit energy reserves. On activation, enter a 1000% time acceleration state for 1 second.”

“After entering high-velocity time, launch your attack.”

“This attack is in a delayed detonation mode and will emerge from Dimensional Space after the skill ends.”

“The attack carries a temporal-spatial shock effect and can be triggered multiple times.”

..

The skill description was both simple and eerie.

After quickly grasping the skill’s details, a flash of joy lit up Yenir’s eyes.

This is…

Activate the skill to enter Dimensional Space and launch an attack? Unlike Dimensional Slash, every strike within the dimension is synchronized, regardless of order!

Simply put, this skill perfectly met his needs.

“Isn’t this the ultimate sneaky divine technique?!”

“Entering another dimension grants tenfold speed… meaning I can launch as many attacks as my strength allows within that ten-second window.”

“Once the state ends, all attacks initiated during those ten seconds will suddenly emerge from Dimensional Space, catching targets off guard?”

“Isn’t that basically unleashing ten Dimensional Slashes in one second?!”

“Let’s give it a shot!”

Even smoother than he had anticipated, Yenir activated the skill with a determined expression.

“Buzz”

Accompanied by a faint humming sound, he immediately vanished into another time-space—entering Dimensional Space.

“So slow…”

Drifting through Dimensional Space, Yenir felt as though he were wading through thick, sticky water.

In his view, Yinglong and the others, desperately attacking, appeared to be moving in slow motion—every burst of spirit energy from their hands unfolding gradually.

Yet, his own speed remained normal.

“First one!”

Rushing to the nearest Third-Stage fighter, Yenir decisively sliced through Dimensional Space. After freezing his target in place, he moved swiftly to another enemy.

“Second one!”

He struck again, his frosty blade’s aura floating in the void as it aligned with the head of the second Awakener.

Though his strikes appeared harmless for now, Yenir knew that once the skill ended, they would hit the targets in a flash!

“This fused skill is truly something else!”

“This is repulsive…”

“If I targeted Yinglong, I could theoretically launch unlimited attacks on him within ten seconds.”

“In real-world terms, those ten seconds’ worth of attacks would explode in an instant.”

“What’s the difference from training on a wooden dummy?”

“Who could withstand a barrage of skills unleashed all at once?”

Skipping over Yinglong with some regret, Yenir dashed toward the next target.

“Fourth one…”

“Fifth one…”

“Seventh one!”

…

With each swing, Yenir envisioned the terrifying scene that would erupt the moment the skill finished.

“If I can wipe out ten in one go, as soon as I emerge from Dimensional Space, I can activate Divine Rage!”

“In that case, perhaps I could…”

“One strike to instantly kill the Otherworldly Ghost Monarch!”