Chapter 289 – God’s Blessing (1/2)

Chapter 289 – God’s Blessing

Zennarde’s Cenotaph was where some of his belongings were buried, including the sword he wielded during the Dark Era. The tyrannical weapon tasted the blood of countless lives, leaving an everlasting mark on history.

It was simply impossible for a person without a Holy Spirit Heart to subdue this godly weapon which brimmed with an aura of slaughter.

Nie Yan didn’t know much about Holy Spirit Hearts except for they were difficult to obtain. Only three players were rumoured to have ever received them in the previous timeline. However, he didn’t know what methods they used. Holy Spirit Hearts weren’t class-exclusive, but Paladins did have a somewhat easier time acquiring them. This was because it was reported a Holy Spirit Heart could be gained after purifying a certain number of undead, and at the later stages of the game, Paladins possessed an aura skill which had a chance of purifying any weak undead that entered their sphere of influence.

No matter how difficult, Nie Yan wanted to at least get a look at Zennarde’s Sword. He knew wanting to obtain it was a fool’s errand. But just seeing it was still within the realms of possibility, right?

Nie Yan and Yao Yao moved in the direction the guidestone pointed.

Still barring their path was the endless sea of Undead Bone Hunters. However, Nie Yan discovered they were a lot easier to deal with than before. He quickly realized why after checking his status:

Advanced Demon Hunter – Increases Influence in all human nations by 30. Reduces the stats of every creature of darkness within 20 meters of the player by 30%.

Intimidate (Enhanced): Inflict the target with fear and cripple their movements for 3 seconds. Range: 5 meters.

Deterrence (Enhanced): Disperse all monsters within the surrounding area for 15 minutes. Not valid if the monsters’ level exceeds the player’s level by over 30.

Advanced Demon Hunter didn’t give anything new, but all of the existing properties received a substantial boost. Nie Yan would probably have to raise the title’s rank again or maybe upgrade it to an even higher tier to receive a new skill.

The greater the debuff to the surrounding undead, the faster Nie Yan and Yao Yao shredded through them.

In the distance, a massive grave gradually revealed itself to them. It was made of ashen gray rocks and piled several tens of meters high. The highest stone, which showed clear signs of weathering, sported a dark entrance that led deep underground.

With his sights set on Zennarde’s Sword, Nie Yan planned to explore the depths of this Cenotaph. Regardless of what happened to him down there, his journey here could be counted a success.

“I’m running out of Spring Water,” Yao Yao said with furrowed brows after checking her bag. Even over 60 stacks couldn’t hold up to so many days of non-stop grinding.

Nie Yan thought for a bit, then suggested, “How about you return to Calore with the Black Sin Lotus without me? I’ll explain you how to proceed with the next step of Karsi’s Blessing. Go find Blacksmith Kade and ask him to craft you a Silver-grade Rosary. Wear it during the next stage of the quest.”

Yao Yao thought for a moment. Without any mana recovery items, she would only be a burden to Nie Yan if she stuck around.

Her only choice was to die to return back to the city.

“Alright, I’ll go finish Karsi’s Blessing by myself.” Yao Yao nodded. Nie Yan appeared quite interested in this quest, to the extent that he wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw it through to the very end.

Nie Yan traded the Black Sin Lotus to Yao Yao. He only needed to give her a bit of guidance for the next stage, and she would be fine. With the Silver-grade Rosary, the difficulty would become a lot more bearable.

“Alright, Nirvana Flame, I’ll take my leave.” Yao Yao’s eyes flashed with deep reluctance as she began taking her equipment off.

“Ok.” Nie Yan nodded. He planned to explore the interior of the grave. If he was going to die anyways, he might as well try to get something out of it.

It took over 20 seconds for Yao Yao to finish unequipping her gear, after which she found a way to commit suicide and return to Calore.

After she left, Nie Yan looked at Lil’ Gold. Without the support of Yao Yao’s area of effect magic, their mobbing speed would drop considerably.

Nie Yan redirected his attention to some guild affairs. This afternoon signalled the end of the five-day deadline between Asskickers United and Dragonsoar Financial Group. He ordered Bladelight, Young Seven, and the others to capture a Basic Stronghold by themselves. With a force of 500 strong, they succeeded after wiping seven times. Although the evil creatures guarding the strongholds gave ample amounts of experience, it still wasn’t enough to cover their losses. On average, each member dropped by 2 levels. But compared to the worth of a stronghold, this was a decent trade-off.

It wasn’t just Asskickers United. Other guilds were also hard at work clearing strongholds, but the losses they suffered in the process were far steeper.

Nie Yan looked at the vast sea of bones before him, waves of them moving around seemingly without purpose. Directing Lil’ Gold, who could massacre entire groups of Undead Bone Hunters with his Dragon Breath, he steadily advanced.

Nie Yan arrived outside the entrance of Zennarde’s Cenotaph. He could detect a dark energy radiating from its depths, giving a cold and gloomy feeling. Before him was a long flight of stairs that led deep underground.

Nie Yan descended the stairs along with Lil’ Gold.

Carved into the walls on either side of the passage were simple murals depicting the history of the dragon race, from their abrupt rise in the Kanasi Mountain Range to their rapid occupation of the territories of other races, then finally the establishment of their empire, ruling over the entire Atlanta Continent.

As the saying went, nothing lasts forever. After dominating the continent for 2900 years, even King Zennarde grew old. In the fight for his inheritance, the ruling class tore itself apart. On top of that, the various races revolted against the dragons’ atrocities, causing the Hiberyth Empire to fall into a sharp decline and never regain its former glory.

In the end, the nobility of the dragon race had no choice but to place Zennarde’s Cenotaph in Zennarde’s Domain. Otherwise, it would be destroyed by the other races.

The dragon race was nearly slaughtered to extinction while the survivors were scattered all over the continent!

Even a powerful existence like the dragon race was ultimately wiped away from the slates of history.