After leaving Dark Moon Valley, Shi Feng activated Gravity Liberation to save time and sprinted straight toward Red Water Lake to the southeast.
Players heading to Dark Moon Valley along the way saw Shi Feng streak past like a gust of wind, moving so fast that they couldn't even make out what he looked like.
"Who's that? Which Assassin is that fast?"
"Wait, look at the sword hanging at his waist. It's not a dagger. He must be a Swordsman."
"Damn, are Swordsmen really that awesome now? There's a rumor going around online that the mysterious Swordsman who killed Red Leaf Town's mayor was also a powerful Swordsman from Dead Silence Forest who received an invitation from the Ice Goddess. If I'd known, I would've played a Swordsman too."
"You think it could be the same person?"
"He's not that guy. I saw the Swordsman who killed the mayor with my own eyes. He was a huge, burly man, as strong as a black bear. His arms were thicker than my thighs, and he took down a Level 15 mayor!"
The players passing by watched Shi Feng leave and discussed him among themselves. They were at a loss for words over the Swordsman class. If they'd known it was this powerful, they would've played a Swordsman. But it was too late now.
If Shi Feng had known what they were saying, he would probably have just laughed it off. In God's Domain, there were no strongest classes, only strongest players.
Shi Feng sprinted across the vast plains for more than two hours. He activated Gravity Liberation over a dozen times to escape the pursuit of high-level monsters, crossed the Level 6 Gnoll Ruins and Level 8 Oulu Fortress, and finally reached the Level 10 zone, Red Water Lake.
Red Water Lake was a paradise for Level 10 Water Elementals and Murlocs. From a high vantage point, Shi Feng could see groups of three to five Murlocs patrolling the area. The closer he got to the lake, the more Murlocs he saw. Their lair lay in the middle of Red Water Lake, while the lake itself was home to the troublesome Water Elementals.
Red Water Lake had a high concentration of monsters, and the Murlocs' Curse skill was disgustingly powerful. It absorbed players' attributes and converted them into their own, making them stronger the more they fought. They were difficult to kill, and there were no quests in the area, so in his previous life, few players had been willing to level up here.
But Shi Feng had to venture deep into Red Water Lake.
The metal box dropped by Axel Mador was incredibly precious. If Axel Mador had known what was inside, he would've been so furious he'd have spat blood. The box contained a treasure map, and the treasure it pointed to was hidden in Red Water Lake.
Shi Feng had been playing God's Domain for ten years, after all, and had studied its history extensively.
He never would've expected Axel Mador to have this treasure map. It was no ordinary map; it recorded an earth-shattering secret.
Nine hundred years ago, the great alchemist Morodo had poured his heart and soul into creating an object. Its existence sparked wars between many of God's Domain's great nations, and more than a dozen heroes fought over it. In the end, however, the object vanished without a trace, becoming one of God's Domain's unsolved mysteries.
The treasure map in Shi Feng's hands recorded the location of that very object.
It was the Philosopher's Stone.
The holy relic of alchemy. If an Alchemist obtained the Philosopher's Stone, they would gain the power to turn stone into gold and amass boundless wealth. They could even resurrect the dead, perfectly defying alchemy's principle of equivalent exchange.
Who would've thought that such a holy relic would be hidden in the unremarkable Red Water Lake?
Red Water Lake was a dangerous place for Shi Feng. After all, the monsters were eight levels higher than him. The eight-level suppression meant he stood no chance against Level 10 monsters, let alone Murlocs that stole attributes.
Still, Shi Feng had to take the risk. The sooner he got the Philosopher's Stone, the sooner he could put his mind at ease. If he waited until he was Level 7 or 8 to come back, someone else might have already taken it. Then he wouldn't even know where to cry.
Shi Feng took the metal box from his bag, carefully removed the treasure map, and began studying it.
The map marked the location clearly: directly beneath the Murlocs' lair. But getting past the Murlocs was a problem. He also had to deal with the Water Elementals. They had low health, but were immune to 60% of physical damage and had a slowing skill. They were a headache for anyone who fought in melee.
After observing the area for half an hour, Shi Feng realized that the Murlocs didn't patrol nonstop. They always took breaks, and they only moved around on the shore, rarely entering the water. Once in the water, their movement speed dropped by 60%. He could use that chance to dash into the lake, where the Murlocs wouldn't be able to catch him.
As for the Water Elementals beneath the surface, he could use Phantom Kill's clone to draw them away, then slip into the cave beneath the Murloc lair.
If he mishandled any part of this plan, Shi Feng would surely die. Dying once would cost him a lot, but with the advantage of his rebirth, he could quickly make up for the experience he lost. The real problem was that dying would send him back to town, and running all the way back would take too much time.
"Ten seconds left." Shi Feng watched the patrolling Murlocs, calculating when to make his move.
The seconds ticked by. A group of patrolling Murlocs glanced around, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and went into a wooden hut by the lake to rest, leaving a stretch of shore unguarded.
Shi Feng suddenly surged forward and reached the lakeshore in a single dash.
He was only thirty-odd yards from the water when another patrol spotted him. The Murlocs sounded the alarm, drew their short blades, and charged at him.
Against four Level 10 Murlocs, even Shi Feng wouldn't stand a chance. His only hope was to jump into the water.
But the Murlocs were extremely fast and soon caught up with him. They swung their short blades at his back.
Shi Feng knew he couldn't outrun them. He spun around and used Abyssal Bind to immobilize one, then used the Abyssal Walker to parry another, blocking the Murlocs behind him.
Using the Murlocs' momentum, Shi Feng opened up a gap of more than three yards, activated Gravity Liberation, and leaped into the lake.
But the other Murlocs quickly caught up and jumped into the water after him.
Splash!
The four Murlocs fell into the lake, while Shi Feng sprinted across its surface.
The Water Walking technique required 80 Agility to activate, but Shi Feng had the Gravity Ring. His body was almost weightless, and with more than 30 Agility, he could still walk on water without being slowed down.
Before long, Shi Feng had shaken off the Murlocs chasing him and dove into the water near their lair.
As soon as he entered the water, he saw a large number of Water Elementals circling a huge underwater cavern, as though guarding something.
Water Elemental, Common Monster, Level 10, HP 750/750.
Shi Feng used Phantom Kill, sending a clone swimming over to lure away the Water Elementals.
Just as Shi Feng had planned, the Water Elementals spotted the clone and swarmed toward it. The clone turned and swam up toward the surface. Water Elementals moved quickly underwater, but they were slow on land—exactly the opposite of Murlocs.
Watching the clone lure the Water Elementals away from the entrance, Shi Feng quickly swam toward it.
Before he reached the entrance, the system notified him that his clone had died. It had only bought Shi Feng twenty-odd seconds.
After killing the clone, the Water Elementals noticed the intruder and hurried back to the entrance.
Once they spotted Shi Feng, the Water Elementals sped up considerably and rushed toward him.
P.S. Thanks to Tiansuo Yun, Qíngmí Huànjiè, and Whose Youth Doesn't Soar for the tips. Old Cat will still timidly shout for more bookmarks and recommendations!