Free Web NovelChapter 192: Chapter 107: Fighting with the Holy Maiden
"Dragon of Creation!"
Mare Rhine’s roar echoed through the Soul Space, and Su Xuan instantly understood. The Dragon of Creation Hong Lian had mentioned was the very same Giant Dragon that had fought a fierce battle with Mare Rhine thousands of years ago.
’One creates, the other destroys... No wonder they fought.’
But right now, Su Xuan had no time to soothe her emotions.
"Two other Player Guilds will be joining our party soon," Lu Bo said to Su Xuan, stroking his small mustache. "However, they’re stronger than us, having reached C+ Level."
"Mhm," Shen Siqi said softly from the side. "They’ve already arrived near the Demon Cave. We’ll meet up with them when we get there."
"Of course, even though they’re powerful, they’ll only be playing a supporting role in this party," Lu Bo added, his gaze casually sweeping over Hong Lian and the other two. From the very beginning, their destiny was to be used as tools.
Su Xuan asked Lu Bo, "This time, besides us, how many Guilds are participating in total?"
"Not that many, about a dozen or so Guilds. The intel on the Demon Cave wasn’t spread too widely this time," Lu Bo replied after a moment of thought. "But, there’s a really strong guy participating this time."
"A really strong guy?"
"Yeah, the C+ Level Guild that’s currently ranked second on the contribution leaderboard. He was ranked first before, but a B-Level Guild just surpassed him this morning," Lu Bo explained.
Hearing this, Su Xuan fell into deep thought.
’The competition in this event is really intense,’ he thought. He remembered that just last night, that C+ Level Guild was sitting comfortably on the number one throne. He never expected it to change hands overnight.
...
A short while later, the new Sunset City Lord led several hundred Law Enforcement Knights toward the Demon Cave. The Adventurers on site all followed, riding horses provided by Sunset City as they all headed for the cave.
"Are they your companions?"
On the way, Roxia asked Su Xuan curiously. She was, of course, referring to Hong Lian and the others.
"Mhm."
Su Xuan nodded and instructed, "You need to stick close to us later." As he spoke, he pointed to Rosaline, who was sitting in front of him.
Time was tight, so they couldn’t find enough horses on short notice. Some Adventurers had to ride two to a horse. As for why they didn’t just teleport, it was because there were no suitable teleportation coordinates in the Mysterious Forest. Teleportation Arrays can’t be used just anywhere; they usually transport you to a city. Of course, returning to the Guild was much simpler.
Su Xuan naturally ended up sharing a horse with Rosaline. Ivsha and Lucia each carried an Elf, while Alice had turned back into a doll and was resting in his pocket.
He didn’t really mind, but holding onto Rosaline’s hard armor, combined with the jostling of the marching horse, was a bit uncomfortable.
’Looks like I really need to find a mount of my own!’
As he thought this, Su Xuan glanced to the side. The Female Mage, Kaelin, was sitting on the back of a Centaur Female Warrior. That broad back looked remarkably flat, and Su Xuan couldn’t help but want to try it out...
Soon, the group arrived at the Demon Cave’s location.
A number of Adventurer’s Guilds had already gathered there. Just as Lu Bo had said, not many guilds were participating this time—including Su Xuan’s group, there were only about twenty in total.
"Is that the sixth-ranked Player you were talking about?"
Just then, two men walked toward Su Xuan, followed by several powerful Adventurers.
"Mhm."
Lu Bo nodded. "How are the preparations?"
"Everything’s ready. We can head deep into the Demon Cave as soon as the time comes," said a young man in a flat cap, turning his cold gaze to Su Xuan. "You look weaker than I imagined. Another Player without a C-Level evaluation. Since you know the ’Immortal Consort’ Guild, just try not to hold us back."
With that, he turned and walked back to his own party.
"Don’t mind Fu Bin. He’s always like that, all cold and aloof," Shen Siqi explained to Su Xuan.
"It’s fine."
Su Xuan replied calmly. In the game, initial impressions were usually related to a Player’s Tier. Generally speaking, a C+ Level Player was much stronger than a D-Level Player, but that was just the general rule.
He then turned his gaze toward the distant Demon Cave. At that moment, it was shrouded in a thin, bloody mist.
According to Lu Bo, this bloody mist was highly corrosive. It could eat away at skin, causing it to fester over large areas. However, every day at noon, when the sun was at its hottest, the mist would naturally dissipate. That moment was the perfect opportunity for them to infiltrate the Demon Cave.
"Later, you all must stick close to me," Lucia instructed Fuli and the others, which of course included Su Xuan.
"Did you sense something?" Su Xuan asked Lucia.
"Mhm." Lucia nodded lightly and explained, "Compared to the Vampires, there’s something even more troublesome inside the Demon Cave. This bloody mist is being released by it."
Su Xuan’s eyes narrowed. ’Anything that can put Lucia on such high alert is definitely not simple.’
Soon, the bells for twelve noon rang out. The sun hung high in the sky, releasing its scorching light.
The bloody mist surrounding the Demon Cave began to dissipate, revealing a gate constructed from fresh blood—the entrance to the Demon Cave’s interior.
"The blood mist has scattered! Move out!"
At the Sunset City Lord’s command, the crowd advanced swiftly toward the Demon Cave.
The moment they stepped inside, they felt the environment change drastically. The once-lush Mysterious Forest was gone, replaced by a dark and gloomy expanse. At the edge of their vision stood a towering, ancient castle, and hanging in the sky above it was a blood-red sun that cast an eerie crimson glow.
"The stench of blood is so thick!"
Shen Siqi’s brow furrowed, and she felt a wave of nausea. The bloody odor filling the air made everyone extremely uncomfortable.
However, Su Xuan and his Guild members were not significantly affected.
As they entered the Demon Cave, Lucia gently tapped her Sun Staff, and a faint golden halo bloomed around each of the Guild members. This halo not only dispelled the stench of blood from their noses but also significantly boosted their All Attributes.
"That sun..."
The very first thing Su Xuan did upon entering the Demon Cave was look toward the blood-red sun in the distance.
A powerful intuition rose from deep within him. ’That blood-red "sun" isn’t a natural thing... it’s a living, evil entity!’
"I..."
Lucia’s expression suddenly changed. Her delicate brows knitted together, and a look of pain crossed her face.
Her body began to sway, and she fell weakly into Su Xuan’s arms.
"Lucia?" Su Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly as he immediately checked Lucia’s Status panel.
In her status bar, there was a debuff—Blood-colored Withering!
[Blood-colored Withering: This unit is afflicted by the enmity of blood. Power, Physique, and agility are all reduced to 10 points, entering a weakened state.]
Seeing Lucia’s status, Su Xuan’s expression darkened.
He quickly realized this status was closely related to the blood-red sun.
’But why was Lucia the only one affected?’
"I’ll take you out of here first." Su Xuan moved to pick Lucia up. ’As the Guild President, I’m responsible for her.’
"I’m fine. My movement is restricted, but it doesn’t affect my ability to cast Magic," Lucia said, shaking her head lightly as she struggled to stay standing.
Judging from the status effect, all of Lucia’s other Attributes were suppressed except for her Magic Attribute, and her mobility was severely affected.
But as long as she could still cast Magic, the impact on Lucia’s combat effectiveness wouldn’t be too great.
"How about this," Lucia said to Su Xuan after a moment of thought. "You can carry me on your back."
’On his back?’
Hmm...
After a moment’s thought, Su Xuan decided the plan was feasible.
’Besides, in my Half-Dragon Transformation, my mobility is just as good as Lucia’s normally is.’
"Alright."
Su Xuan nodded and gently picked Lucia up.
"?" Lucia was confused. She had clearly said "on your back," so why was he carrying her in his arms?
’Oh well, it’s not that different.’
It was just...
Lucia’s cheeks flushed slightly. Su Xuan’s large hands were wrapped around her waist, his palms pressing into her soft skin.
This intimate contact caused the effects of her Sensitive Authority to flare up completely. Her body couldn’t help but tremble slightly, but it wasn’t pronounced enough for anyone else to notice.
Ahem~
’Heh, the Holy Maiden is still so sensitive. Looks like I’ll have to find some time to train her properly, so she can at least tolerate a simple hug.’
Lost in thought, Su Xuan shifted his position with Lucia, moving her onto his back.
But while changing their positions, he accidentally brushed against Lucia’s soft, snow-white feet...
"!"
