A circular altar two meters high, an ancient bronze mirror engraved with dragon patterns, a black-robed demon with eyes wide as camel bells, and a group of merfolk kneeling around the altar.
...We're surrounded!
Although the outcome was expected, the enemy's formation of hundreds, the eerie and terrifying atmosphere, still made Michelle and the other two tense up, not daring to even breathe.
Seeing Duan Chen appear beside her, Michelle relaxed a little.
It seems they successfully entered Mirror City this time. Duan Chen cautiously looked around but did not see Gao Tiankai.
That's right, it wouldn't be that easy to find him.
We must deal with these insignificant foes first.
"Invasion failed?!" the black-robed demon with a single horn on its head roared.
"We sent one over, and four came back? Did they multiply? Split? Or..." He pointed at each of them with his webbed fingers, counting, "Which one of you is 033? Or are none of you 033?!"
At the same time, the merfolk guardians raised their spears, their sharp tips pointing at the four, their killing intent erupting.
Duan Chen narrowed his eyes, quickly assessing the situation.
Buzz, buzz~
The detector suddenly vibrated violently, stopping at the most glaring red light.
Beep~ Detected Abyss Domain!
[Codename: Mirror City]
[Classification: B...A...S-class!]
"!!!"
The faces of the few people immediately turned extremely grim.
S-class!!
The detector's judgment was based on the concentration of spiritual energy within the abyss domain.
Over a million spiritual energy can form an ordinary abyss domain.
Ten million levels are B-class, a hundred million levels are A-class, and only over a billion levels can be defined as S-class.
Humans had only discovered three A-class abyss domains so far, including "Cloud Temple," an abyss domain where a thousand people met their end in Qinling.
Countless spirit hunters had perished on the mountain peaks, only to be classified as A-class.
Yet, the "Mirror City" before them was an unprecedented S-class.
Jia Yunlian trembled all over, a chill crawling down her spine.
"So many monsters, will we die here?" Michelle whispered, fearfully clutching the sword hilt pendant at her chest.
"To be honest, my legs are still shaking with fear," Qin Ze said with a bitter smile.
"Be brave, newcomers. The spiritual energy here is abundant, and the cultivation speed is much faster than outside. B-class abyss domains have double speed, A-class triple speed, and I guess S-class... has at least quadruple cultivation speed."
"Assuming killing one ordinary merfolk absorbs 300 spiritual power, four times that would be 1200 spiritual power. So, are we facing hundreds of merfolk?"
"No, not hundreds."
"It's 120,000 spiritual power, enough for you to make a qualitative leap. It would take at least two years to cultivate on land, but here, it's within your grasp. Isn't that tempting?"
"We need to figure out... who is the prey, and who is the hunter."
Duan Chen's words were like a seductive poison, making Michelle and Qin Ze, who were drowning in fear, see a flicker of light.
"That's right, there's nothing to be afraid of. With Brother Duan Chen protecting us, let's see who kills more this time!" Michelle's eyes cleared, and the sword hilt, as if inspired, sprouted a sharp spiritual blade. She leaped into the air like a flying dagger and, at the same time, made a bold stroke on her canvas, drawing a long saber.
"This saber??" Qin Ze was a little surprised. She wasn't drawing a spear this time but chose this weapon?
"I've heard some stories about my father. His name is Mi Buwei, and his self-created 'Bu Wei Xin' sword technique once slayed demons and devils, making him famous in this region. As his daughter, I must carry on this sword technique. I'm still too weak, so this drawn saber will have to suffice for now."
Michelle thrust towards a merfolk. The flying dagger spun and twirled in the air, echoing each other, and plunged into the enemy camp.
Qin Ze, not to be outdone, charged forward.
"Tsk, such hot-blooded children. It makes me want to stretch my limbs a bit too."
Gurgle~
At this moment, the black-robed monster's four eyes fixed on Jia Yunlian, scrutinizing her up and down with a lecherous grin.
"What a beauty. More beautiful than the women the vanguard ate. I like this body very much."
Saying this, dozens of tentacles extended from beneath the black robe, directly grabbing for Jia Yunlian.
Jia Yunlian was not to be trifled with. Her face changed, and she fiercely whipped her thorny vine whip at the tentacles.
"Get lost! Don't touch me!"
The moment the war drum sounded, Duan Chen also moved.
Drawing his gun, dodging, weaving closer.
Bang bang!
Two shots fired in quick succession, hitting the center of the merfolk's foreheads, instantly killing dozens of them.
However, the enemy's numbers were overwhelming, and they were very agile. A giant merfolk with a fish tail attacked in the chaos. As if seeing through the trajectory of the bullets, it raised its tail, its sturdy fish tail actually blocking Duan Chen's second magazine.
"My scales are impervious to blades and spears. Humans are nothing more than this."
It lunged at Duan Chen, swinging its tail to smash him.
Whoosh—!
Duan Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and he heard the sound of air being torn apart.
Boom!
Duan Chen was knocked back a few steps by the tail strike, hitting a stone pillar around the altar, and his chest immediately ached.
The next second, the terrifying fish tail whipped forward again, smashing towards him.
In just a few seconds of engagement, Duan Chen was bruised in multiple places, looking somewhat disheveled.
"You've really deceived me..."
He raised his hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes hardening.
Most of the merfolk invading land only had the ability to change their appearance and summon domains. They were beings that even moderately skilled spirit hunters could deal with.
For example, Lu Zhai, as long as he didn't open his domain, even the novices Michelle and Qin Ze could easily kill him.
But the fish-tailed monster before them was powerful, a captain-level merfolk, and this was their familiar home turf, making their movements extremely fluid.
The abyss domain classification initially only had C-class. What caused it to suddenly skyrocket to S-class!
A potential answer emerged in Duan Chen's mind—
The spatial key.
It seemed this key had not only opened the gate between dimensions but also allowed a being with high intelligence to orchestrate an invasion strategy of playing weak to lure the enemy, thus lowering humanity's crisis preparedness for the merfolk.
Hmph, is this your plan?
Gao Tiankai!!
Duan Chen's gaze darkened. He was about to get serious.
This invasion conspiracy was far more serious than anticipated. He had to report back to his superiors before the situation became irreversible!
Duan Chen spat out a mouthful of blood and loosened the cuff of his shirt.
The tail strike was not in vain. He quickly adapted to the restrictive environment during the fight and familiarized himself with the enemy's combat style.
The fish-tailed merfolk licked its lips, clearly coveting Duan Chen's body.
"Isn't it better to be eaten by me obediently? Why must you mutilate this body so badly?"
"How could I let you succeed... You underestimate humans too much."
A ring of peculiar blue patterns flashed across Duan Chen's pupils.
The world reshaped itself in his eyes.
One second later, the enemy's movement trajectory became clearly visible.
"I can see the brief future," Duan Chen grinned wickedly.
His leg muscles tensed, and he leaped up with a burst of power, leaving an afterimage in the air.
When he reappeared, he was already in mid-air, directly in front of the fish-tailed merfolk.
The fish-tailed merfolk arrogantly curved its tail to defend. Little did it know that Duan Chen had seen through its movements completely, twisting his body to appear behind it.