Chapter 1027: Chapter 99: Can I Recharge Some Magic First?

Unexpectedly, the grand hall was empty.

Luo En leapt off the dragon’s back, his Divine Will spreading out to catch a faintly hidden aura. With a raised hand, he conjured a golden-red Cursed Bullet and blasted the stone throne ahead into fragments.

Jagged gravel scattered across the space, revealing a deep pit with a diameter of dozens of meters amidst the rubble.

Luo En stepped forward and peered into the abyss.

Inside, all was pitch black and the destination unknown. Layers of red-black mist hung thickly like viscous oil, obscuring any attempt to investigate from the outside.

Even when Luo En pushed his Divine Will to its limits, he could only penetrate around a hundred meters down, leaving the surroundings shrouded in impenetrable chaos.

Still, this effort had not been entirely in vain.

The nebulous aura he had sensed earlier appeared to originate from deep within the pit.

“Stand guard outside. I’ll go have a look.”

With a brief instruction to Black Dragon King Nidhogg, Luo En decisively plunged into the chasm, accelerating toward the source of the aura.

“Buzz!”

As he pierced through the layers of red-black mist, a strange hum echoed around him. Skeletal arms formed of stone and flesh woven from black mist lashed out from the darkness.

“Begone!”

Luo En snorted coldly, his Divine Power surging to a boil, transforming into roaring golden flames that engulfed his figure.

The light and heat swept through, evaporating the surrounding black mist like boiling water. The eerie arms shrieked shrilly like rats and hastily retreated into the dark.

“Boom!”

It was unclear how long he had fallen, but with a resounding thud, Luo En landed in a scorched pit and stood upright.

As he looked around, he found himself in what appeared to be an immense underground lava cave.

The cavern was as dark as ink, with only glowing moss on the walls and rare, luminescent minerals in the veins shedding faint light. These lent an occasional flicker of illumination to a landscape otherwise consumed by endless gloom.

The walls bore scars of erosion left by some strange substance, forming bizarre patterns that resembled abstract, eerie designs–or perhaps ancient, malevolent runes.

The dome-like ceiling was littered with uneven stalactites hanging in jagged clusters; some were sharp like fangs, others drooped like veils, suspended ominously in the gloom, adding an air of foreboding.

Gazing upward, Luo En noticed that the exit leading back to the surface had already been sealed once again by layers of red-black mist. He smirked coldly to himself.

Specifically prepared for me, huh?

Let’s see if you can handle it.

Sensing its master’s mood, the golden Divine Flames blazed brighter, recklessly spreading light and heat, shattering the viscous filth of darkness within the cavern.

Luo En stepped out from his landing pit and ventured deeper into the cave.

Wave upon wave of icy, obscure aura washed over him, carrying a pungent stench of blood and rust that made Luo En, who was particularly sensitive to odors, wrinkle his brow in disgust.

As he traversed a narrow, jagged pathway, the echo of water plunging into an abyss resonated ahead.

The sound was cold and oppressive, like a great beast nestled in the darkness, swallowing food and sipping wine.

Following the sound to its source, Luo En arrived at a circular black pool.

What festered there was no ordinary clean water, but a thick, polluted substance akin to asphalt or crude oil.

Several grotesque tree roots studded with shriveled corpses of Mountain Giants and Magic Beasts crept through the rock crevices, weaving a cage-like sphere above the black pool.

Inside the cage, a petite, golden-haired young girl dressed like a maid and cradling a fruit basket lay curled up, her face pale and her consciousness lapsed into unconsciousness.

Fortunately, a lively, greenish light enveloped her in a protective membrane that shielded her from the encroaching thorns and roots, preventing them from piercing her skin and draining her dry.

It was Eden!

Seeing that the Goddess of Youth was not yet in immediate danger, Luo En let out a slight sigh of relief. He chose not to rescue her right away, instead turning his gaze toward a corner of the darkness before speaking softly:

“Saki, do you know what you’re doing?”

A towering, robust figure emerged from the shadows, gripping a scepter in his hand, and grinned.

“Merely inviting my former subject to visit my palace–and asking her to lend a small favor in the process.”

As he spoke, Saki slowly raised his hand. The Aken Treasure Diamond, known as the Heart of Mountains, floated into view, radiating brilliant divine luminescence.

At that moment, the tree cage above the black pool tightened abruptly. Withered black roots pierced through rock crevices, aiming directly at the imprisoned Eden.

“Ugh…”

With a restrained cry of pain, the unconscious Eden furrowed her brows, curling up like a wounded animal. The greenish protective shield around her wavered precariously.

Golden-red blood mist began seeping from Eden’s body, serving as Divine Power to maintain the protective membrane and sustain the greenish glow.

Immediately, the black roots entwining the shield writhed like snakes that had discovered a feast, greedily peeling away and siphoning the Divine Blood from within the protective membrane.

Each thread of blood mist consumed brought a flicker of satisfaction to Saki’s face, while the Aken Treasure Diamond in his grasp gleamed brighter still.

Recalling the origins of the Aken Treasure Diamond and Eden’s status as the Dwarf Princess, Luo En instantly comprehended Saki’s intent:

He was exploiting Eden’s Divine Blood to further unseal the power of the Aken Treasure Diamond!