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nChapter 173: The Ninth Level (2)

nTranslator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

nTen meters.

nTwenty meters.

nFifty meters.

nEighty meters.

nUntil reaching a hundred meters high, their inertia was depleted, and they began freefalling.

nFalling from a hundred meters high onto the sea surface was almost the same as falling onto the ground.

nWith a “plop” sound, they fell into the sea like dumplings.

nEven the bodies of the Ocean Guardians made of special alchemical materials couldn’t withstand such a fierce impact.

nThe moment they touched the sea surface, their bodies shattered into pieces.

nSeeing this scene, Ji Chen smiled.

nThis was his newly developed tactic, simple and brutal.

nUsing seawater to send enemies flying into the air and then using gravity to harm them.

nThis method consumed less mana than using water blades to kill enemies and had excellent results.

nThis wave only consumed a quarter of his mana but managed to kill over eight hundred Ocean Guardians.

nAfter this one-time strike, it took half an hour for the next wave to appear.

nThere were still over a thousand Ocean Guardians in the new wave.

nThe battle began.

nHigh above the sea, remnants of the Ocean Guardians’ bodies occasionally surfaced, some propelled into the air before crashing back down onto the water’s surface. Alongside them were the lifeless forms of Naga warriors, Dragon Blood Murlocs, and Pure Water Sea Pixies, all floating aimlessly.

nUnder the silent sea surface.

nThe battle continued incessantly.

nControlling the water blade, Ji Chen shattered the Ocean Guardian in front of him.

nHe felt relieved, but there was also a hint of exhaustion in his eyes.

nNo matter how strengthened his body was as a Tidal Lord profession, commanding the army and fighting with all his might for several hours still made him feel tired.

nDuring these two hours, the number of Ocean Guardians he had slain remained unknown, as their shattered bodies blanketed the entire expanse of the sea surface, forming a layer several meters thick over an area spanning tens of meters, transforming the ocean into a graveyard of their remains.

nAt present, only a handful of Naga warriors lingered, a mere fraction of their former presence.

nThese loyal guards were still fighting fiercely despite being severely injured.

nIf their bone blades were bitten off, they used their arms; if their arms were broken, they used their mouths until they were torn apart and their bodies sank into the deep sea.

nOnly a few Dragon Blood Murlocs remained as well.

nEach Dragon Blood Murloc had killed at least ten times the number of enemies, but their individual combat power, although strong, couldn’t withstand the siege of enemies several times their number, and they fell one by one.

nAmong the Pure Water Sea Pixies at the rear, only about ten remained.

nAll three units were almost completely wiped out.

nAt this point, among the three heroes, only Anina still had some combat power, but she also sustained injuries.

nAlice had already depleted her mana and had a pale face as she leaned on the Nexus, her eyes filled with frustration.

nBenbo was also covered in wounds, looking weary. In a previous defensive line, he almost collapsed, and when the Nexus was about to be attacked, he used Dragon Blood Murlocs as human shields to block the attack, severely injuring himself in the process.

nSeeing the approaching Ocean Guardians in the distance, Ji Chen looked at the remaining time.

nLess than ten minutes left until the end.

nAs long as they could hold on for these ten minutes, they would pass the eighth level.

nJi Chen held the mana pendant tightly in his hand, trying to restore his mana as quickly as possible.

nThe scarce tridents and water arrows shot out, shattering dozens of Ocean Guardians, but more were quickly approaching.

nAnina rushed out, her slightly chubby face filled with determination.

nThis young girl, who appeared to be only in her teens, had already experienced countless trials and battles, honing her combat skills to be invincible.

nHer fighting spirit was also unmatched, standing fearlessly in front of hundreds of enemies, vowing to stop them.

nShe managed to block one-third of the Ocean Guardians, but the rest bypassed her and headed straight for the Nexus.

nFacing the overwhelming enemy force, they were like a lone boat in a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

nAll remaining troops charged out and, after killing the last batch of enemies, got submerged in the enemy swarm.

nHundreds of Ocean Guardians did not hesitate, charging towards Ji Chen.

nJi Chen ignored the imminent attack, manipulating the water blade while absorbing the final bit of mana from the mana pendant into his body.

nHis eyes suddenly brightened.

nHe raised his right hand.

nOnce again, he manipulated the seawater, sending the approaching Ocean Guardians into the air.

nAfter sending them out of the sea surface, Ji Chen’s face instantly turned extremely pale, and the mana pendant in his hand finally lost its radiance, depleting all the stored mana.

nFeeling the emptiness inside him, the complete depletion of mana, Ji Chen’s face showed a hint of bitterness.

nAt this point, he was completely exhausted, and he couldn’t maintain a floating state in the water anymore.

nWhen he was about to fall into the deep sea, his arm was held.

nTurning his head, he saw Alice tightly gripping him, her face filled with concern.

nJi Chen’s heart warmed, shaking his head to indicate that he was fine.

nTime passed, and the countdown finally reached zero.

nUntil a pleasant system notification sounded in his ears.

n“Ding- Illusory Realm Trial eighth level passed, Nexus integrity ioo%.”

nJi Chen finally showed a relieved smile on his face.

nAlthough he knew they couldn’t continue to challenge further, he was still delighted to have passed the eighth level.

nAt this point, it was not so much about seeking the rewards of the elusive divine beings but rather wanting to see how far he could push himself, where his limits lay.

nFrom the current situation, he estimated that he could only stop at the eighth level.

nAll the troops had been annihilated, and now only he and the three heroes remained alive. No matter how optimistic he was, it was impossible to pass the higher difficulty of the ninth level.

nAlthough he couldn’t proceed, it didn’t hinder his curiosity to see what the ninth level was like.

nTwo hours later.

nAdjusting himself to the peak state and looking at the remaining three heroes, Ji Chen resolutely started the challenge of the ninth level.

nHowever, instead of encountering any enemies, a flash of white light suddenly appeared.

nThey returned to the stone hall where they started.

nJust as Ji Chen was somewhat puzzled, suddenly hundreds of beams of light descended, and all the dead units reappeared.

nAt this moment, the system notification resounded.

n“Congratulations on passing all the trials.”

nPassed?

nJi Chen was dumbfounded.

nBut 1 haven’t even seen the ninth level yet!

nAs if sensing his inner doubt, the system notification continued.

n“The High Tower Illusory Realm has a total of nine levels. The first eight levels are normal trials, while the ninth level is a test of courage. As long as the challenger opens the ninth level with the intention of challenging their limits, it will be considered a pass.”

n“The rewards of the divine beings can be collected on the platform on the other side of the hall.”

nAfter a while, Ji Chen finally snapped out of his daze.

nHis face looked somewhat strange.

nHow should 1 put it? It somehow feels like child’s play.

nBut no matter what, he still had some expectations for the so-called rewards of the divine beings.

nBeing bestowed with the name of divine beings, they shouldn’t be ordinary things, right?

nAs the system prompts ended, the white barrier on the other side of the hall’s passage quietly disappeared.

nSuppressing his excitement, Ji Chen walked briskly towards it.

nAt the end of the floating passage was a high platform.

nAscending the steps onto the platform, Ji Chen saw three stone pillars.

nUpon closer look, each stone pillar had something on it. On the left stone pillar, there was a diamond-shaped blue crystal.

nIt emitted a strange energy.

nWhat is this?

nCurious, Ji Chen picked it up and examined it.

nControl Crystal

nLevel: Special

nEffect: 0 By refining it with mana, you can control all the Ruins Guardians and Ocean Guardians in the entire ancient land of the divine realm. @ After fusing the Control Crystal into the territory, it can automatically guard the territory with Ruins Guardians and Ocean Guardians.

n“Holy **!”

nJi Chen couldn’t help but swear, feeling an overwhelming excitement.

nAs for the Ruins Guardians and Ocean Guardians scattered across the vast ancient land of the divine realm, the exact number remaining eluded his knowledge, but it was certain that a significant quantity still persisted.

nHe had been coveting these two types of guards for a long time!

nAs the numbers of Ruins Guardians and Ocean Guardians grew, he would be forced to retreat. However, if he could successfully bring them back to his territory and harness their inherent alchemical abilities, configuring their settings accordingly, he would have an indefatigable and formidable group of guardians who could safeguard his territory ceaselessly.

nAs he thought about it, Ji Chen suddenly felt a pang of regret.

nHe had killed so many Ruins Guardians before, how many allies had he lost!?

nRegret filled his heart, intense regret.

nBut with the excitement brought by the first reward, Ji Chen was eagerly anticipating what would come next.

nHe put the control crystal into his backpack and looked at what was on the middle stone pillar.

nHis eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

nWas this still a crystal?

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