Phantom of the Swamp

In a short while, the one thousand people participating in the Fiend assessment disembarked from the metal lifeform and gathered in an open space outside.

"Everyone, we are well aware that you wish to pass the Fiend assessment." A voice, sounding like a thunderclap, suddenly appeared in the minds of the one thousand people, including Luo Ya.

"We are different from you; our mission is far more dangerous than yours, so I hope you do not do anything unnecessary or foolish!" A lion-man Highgod Fiend gathered near Aliquin scanned the many other examinees with eyes like lightning.

According to Luo Ya's judgment, this lion-man powerhouse likely already possessed the strength of a Five-Star Fiend.

However, even among Five-Star Fiends, different combat styles or the specific Laws one cultivated could lead to situations where they countered one another.

Even if one truly possessed the strength of a Five-Star Fiend, it did not necessarily mean they would pass the promotion assessment.

The lion-man Highgod continued to transmit his voice: "We are now departing for the Shadow Swamp. All one thousand of you, follow behind us."

Immediately, the twenty-plus Fiends led by Aliquin and the others soared into the air simultaneously, flying toward the Shadow Swamp.

Suddenly, the army of one thousand participating in the Fiend assessment also took flight. Luo Ya and his two companions naturally blended into this army, flying forward along with them.

"Milia, don't be careless when the fighting starts later. And Morti, just stay by my side and focus on protecting yourself." Letting Morti participate in the Fiend assessment was purely to let him earn a Fiend badge.

Once Morti refined a Highgod Godhead later, it would be much more convenient for them to travel in the future.

"Morti understands." Morti, with his snow-white hair, was quite self-aware.

Even as a fellow Midgod, he knew that someone like him, who had become a god by refining a Godhead, certainly could not compare to those who had become gods through their own cultivation.

The Shadow Swamp appeared on the surface to be a lake of pitch-black water, looking nearly ten miles wide. In reality, however, the core environment inside had a special structure similar to sludge.

In such a unique environment, even the vision of god-level powerhouses was severely restricted, forcing them to rely on releasing their God's Domain or divine sense to investigate their surroundings.

"We have arrived."

The twenty-plus Fiends and one thousand Midgods stood at the edge of the Shadow Swamp.

"World of Devouring!"

Aliquin, shrouded from head to toe in a black robe, suddenly erupted with a cold and powerful Dark Divine Power!

Instantly, with Aliquin as the center, a swirling, distorted force of darkness rapidly diffused in all directions. The trees, flowers, and grass on the surrounding ground, and even the sunlight, were devoured by the distorted dark vortex around Aliquin's body. Because even the sunlight was swallowed, the interior of the distorted vortex appeared pitch black.

This range continued to expand.

Aliquin remained at the center of this distorted vortex.

The group of Midgods felt horrified in their hearts: "What kind of ability is this?"

"Is this a shadow-space technique? This place can be considered half a home-field for him." Upon arriving at the edge of the Shadow Swamp, Luo Ya had keenly sensed the extremely active Dark Element within. A powerhouse cultivating the Laws of Darkness would definitely be 'like a fish in water' fighting in here.

"It seems his mission target this time is also a powerhouse who cultivates the Laws of Darkness. This is getting interesting..." A battle between two Six-Star Fiends, especially when both cultivated the Laws of Darkness, was indeed worth watching.

"Everyone, follow behind Lord Aliquin!" The lion-headed Highgod's face lit up with joy; with Aliquin clearing the way in front, it would be much easier for them to enter the swamp!

"Move!"

Immediately, the twenty-plus Fiends led by Aliquin soared into the air almost simultaneously, diving directly into the Shadow Swamp. The other Midgods also scrambled to follow them in.

This pitch-black swamp environment was creepy just to look at, and having a big shot clearing the way ahead certainly made them feel much more secure.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" Aliquin maintained the dark vortex, enveloping the thousand-plus people and forcibly carving out a path within the swamp.

Looking out through the dark vortex, everything was completely pitch black, with only faint glimpses of a disgusting environment similar to sludge.

"This damn place! What the hell!" Suddenly plunged into such an environment, most of the examinees, unlike powerhouses like Luo Ya who cultivated the Laws of Darkness, felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Sizzle~" However, before these people could complain for long, they encountered trouble!

If one were to look from a god's-eye view, they would see that at the end of the swamp, there was a towering phantom the size of a mountain.

This towering phantom was a massive dark creature similar to a spider, and at this moment, the spider creature was spitting out layers of eerie spider silk. The silk merged with the swamp itself, having already condensed into a web before anyone knew it.

In just a few breaths, a layer of netting completely enveloped the area around the dark vortex.

"What's going on!" Beside Aliquin, several Highgod Fiends' expressions changed instantly, as they could not even use their divine sense to probe the outside world, forced to rely on expanding their God's Domain to barely perceive the situation.

As for their vision? They were completely blind!

Darkness alone could not naturally make gods 'unable to see,' but this innate ability from the master of the Shadow Swamp could make them completely lose their vision in the dark!

"This guy, his sensory ability is actually this strong? Was I discovered the moment I came in?" Aliquin frowned, realizing that this 'Natlan' was not to be trifled with.

"Since we've been discovered, we'll head straight for the main target!" With that, Aliquin shrank the dark vortex, enveloping only the twenty-plus Highgod Fiends, and his speed suddenly increased!

Just as Aliquin and the other Highgods left, and while the other Midgods were still at a loss, the hunt—began!

In the darkness invisible to the others, hunters lurking in the shadows were raising their butcher knives toward them!

"Puchi!" The sound of blades piercing into bodies rang out.

"Bastard, you dare to ambush me!"

Inside the swamp, energy fluctuations from battles erupted everywhere!

Those with high strength and quick reactions could mostly survive the first wave of the ambush, while those whose reactions were a step slower were severely wounded or even killed instantly!

"Shadow Guard? Guards who can slip into the shadows—that is truly an apt description." As Luo Ya muttered to himself, a Shadow Guard wearing a black robe was swinging a gray dagger above the three of them!

"Sizzle!"

Although the Shadow Guard was extremely fast, his movements still created slight fluctuations that were keenly detected by the blonde girl.

"Wind Shadow—Pierce!" The cyan thin sword in the blonde girl's hand struck with the speed of a fleeting swan, precisely piercing the Shadow Guard's head!

That terrifying penetrative power caused the Shadow Guard's body to shudder.

A sword strike as fast as lightning!

In the blink of an eye, Milia's blade vibrated four consecutive times, the immense force of the attack piercing straight through the opponent's head, causing a pitch-black Godhead to drop.

"Milia, your eyes?" Luo Ya wasn't particularly moved by the girl's ability to react in time and kill this Shadow Guard; after all, Milia's own combat instincts were already very strong.

What surprised him was that Milia's eyes at this moment were not their usual bright silver, but had turned into a more dazzling dark gold!

Especially in the current dark environment, these two dark golden pupils were emitting a peculiar glow, as if they could see through the phantoms hiding in the shadows!

The update is a bit late today.