Flame Emperor: Who the hell ambushed me?

"The Earth Python Lord's Gallbladder. If I remember correctly, this should be a rather precious alchemy ingredient. Among the material rarity rankings released by Phantom Gods, this item is enough to rank in the top ten for the early game. However, its specific uses haven't been revealed."

Xiao Wen muttered, and some information about Phantom Gods that had already been released surfaced in his mind.

Aside from these two items that gave Xiao Wen slight pause, the rest were just some decent green-grade equipment, around level 15. If he could bring them out, they would likely cause a stir in the market, but they were meaningless to Xiao Wen.

It couldn't be helped, the Duel Disk and the Millennium Puzzle were too picky. They wouldn't assimilate and seal anything less than purple-grade equipment.

Even Xiao Wen's tastes had become quite refined; he wouldn't even glance at anything that wasn't purple-grade gear.

However, Xiao Wen's gaze fell upon another ball of purple light – a level 15 purple-grade accessory gifted by the system.

Ding! Do you wish to open the purple-grade accessory gift box?

Open!

Opening failed. Player level is insufficient. Please attempt again after reaching level 15.

Xiao Wen's mouth twitched, his face darkened. He ignored the purple-grade accessory and continued to inventory the other spoils of war.

After clearing out the spoils, Xiao Wen didn't linger. Under the protection of Nightmare, he hurried to leave the swamp.

As one of the five Lord-class BOSSes in the Nightmare Forest, the death of the Earth Python Lord would surely attract the attention of the other four BOSSes. If these guys swarmed over, or if they managed to lure over the suspected Emperor-tier Blood Moon Demon Wolf, even Xiao Wen would feel his scalp tingle.

If Nightmare couldn't maintain its concealment, the only outcome left for him would be returning to the village for free.

Moreover, he would probably lose more than half the equipment in his backpack.

This was not the outcome Xiao Wen wanted.

Therefore, after collecting the spoils, Xiao Wen retreated, not daring to linger for even a moment.

Barely a mile after Xiao Wen had pulled out of the swamp, three terrifying auras erupted from three different directions, surging towards the swamp. These were the other three Lord-class BOSSes controlled by the Blood Moon Demon Wolf.

Following these three Lord-class BOSSes, a more profound aura faintly burst forth – the aura belonging to the Blood Moon Demon Wolf.

Awoooo!

With a wolf's howl, the bright sky above the entire Nightmare Forest instantly gathered masses of dark clouds. Layer upon layer of dark clouds converged, obscuring the heavens.

Simultaneously, a crescent-shaped blood moon, scarlet in color, rose from above its head, hanging in the sky, and an evil will instantly erupted.

The moment the blood moon hung in the sky, a dark red light wave spread outwards from the Blood Moon Demon Wolf as the center.

The light wave vibrated extremely quickly, and every monster hit by the light wave became still, like a sculpture, just as Xiao Wen had seen it for the first time, without the slightest movement.

In just a few breaths, it caught up to Xiao Wen.

Upon sensing the light wave, Nightmare let out a terrified shriek, clearly reaching the peak of its fear.

"Mas... Master... we're finished..."

Xiao Wen looked calmly at the Millennium Puzzle on his chest and said, "It's alright, maintain your mental energy concealment. We're about to break out of the core area."

Nightmare felt utterly miserable.

We're practically dead, and you're still thinking about rushing out?

Can you even block the mental control comparable to an Emperor-tier monster?

Just as Nightmare had this thought, the light wave swept over. Nightmare felt an incredibly evil and violent will contained within it, causing its entire body to tremble uncontrollably.

At that very instant, the long-dormant Millennium Puzzle erupted with light. Brilliant golden light surged, shattering the incoming light wave completely.

Nightmare trembled, and its heart was filled with extreme terror.

The moment the Millennium Puzzle unleashed its light, it clearly felt that this was the same power that had sealed it back then.

This power was stronger and of a higher level than the Blood Moon Demon Wolf's power, like divine sanctity standing in the highest heavens.

However, within this seemingly divine power, there was a trace of a strange aura, making it unfathomable.

"Mas... Master... this..."

Nightmare stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Xiao Wen didn't reply. Instead, he ran with all his might. Under the dual protection of the Millennium Puzzle and Nightmare, Xiao Wen finally broke out of the Nightmare Forest after an hour.

The moment his body burst out of the Nightmare Forest, he looked at the surrounding shallow green grass and the occasional egrets soaring in the sky, feeling a different kind of leisurely atmosphere.

"Phew... Finally out. That Blood Moon Demon Wolf, it's too terrifying. I can't kill it alone." Xiao Wen muttered to himself.

Just looking at the spreading light wave was enough to show the chasm between the Blood Moon Demon Wolf and the Earth Python Lord, like an unbridgeable gap.

After leaving the Nightmare Forest, Xiao Wen had barely taken two steps when his eyes narrowed. A scorching sense of danger came from his right. Looking up, he saw three fireballs flying towards him in succession from the sky.

"An ambush?"

Xiao Wen's eyes narrowed, his feet shifted, and he sidestepped back half a step. This position allowed him to perfectly avoid the fireballs that were flying straight at him.

But were these fireballs really flying straight?

The moment the fireballs grazed past Xiao Wen, they suddenly ascended, turning back towards Xiao Wen's back and charging at him, their speed several times faster than before!

"So fast!"

Xiao Wen's face twitched, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Though surprised, he remained calm. He clenched his five fingers into a fist and punched at the empty space in front of him.

The spot where his fist landed suddenly became a vacuum. The incoming fireballs were pulled off course by the gravity, landing on the ground, exploding, and scattering into countless sparks.

When the flames dissipated, they left behind only a scorched, large pit on the ground.

However, just as Xiao Wen finished dealing with the fireball, a crisp bird cry rang out. Three firebirds flapped their wings, their eyes seeming to possess a degree of sentience.

Xiao Wen's expression instantly darkened. He used a card to summon the Nightmare, wrapping himself in it as if wearing an invisibility cloak, and instantly vanished.

With Xiao Wen gone, the three firebirds instantly lost their target. They flapped their wings in mid-air, unsure of where to attack.

Hundreds of meters away from this spot, a tall man stood on the ground. A crimson, fiery longsword was planted beside him. He moved his hands, flames dancing on his fingertips, and the scene of the three firebirds attacking Xiao Wen vaguely appeared before him.

This person was none other than the Flame Emperor, one of the Four Emperors in the Kyushu gaming world!

"He's gone!"

The Flame Emperor frowned as he looked at Xiao Wen, who had suddenly disappeared. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

To disappear before him without even drawing his attention was truly rare.

Beside the Flame Emperor stood Feng Luoqing, his longsword held with both hands.

"You messed up, didn't you? I told you I'd handle it, but you insisted on doing it yourself. And look at the result? You messed up! The Flame Emperor, one of the mighty Four Emperors, can't even keep track of one person."

Feng Luoqing pouted, his words laced with disdain.

"Alright, you lunatic, stop talking about me. What about you? You saw the fight just now. Do you think..."

Before the Flame Emperor could finish speaking, he was as if violently pushed forward, stumbling and about to fall face-first onto the ground. He quickly extended an arm, pointing a finger at the ground to steady himself.

"Who! Who the hell dared to ambush me?"