As the dust settled, Linley knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword, panting heavily. He had several burns from the lava on his body, and his clothes were torn, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.
" The Flame Monarch... has finally fallen." Fain slumped to the ground, wiping the ashes from his face. "This level was far more difficult to conquer than the previous ones."
Linley was about to respond when he saw three objects scattered in the center of the scorched earth where the Flame Monarch had fallen, each slowly emitting its own luster. He walked over and bent down to examine them closely—a giant axe that was entirely black and gleamed with a chilling light, a sharp scimitar curved like a crescent moon, and a staff with a dark blue crystal embedded at its tip.
The three divine artifacts lay quietly in the ashes, as if awaiting a new master.
Linley's heart stirred slightly. He didn't rush to put them in his possession, but squatted down and examined them one by one. He recognized them—all three were of superior quality, and any one of them would be enough to drive a powerful force crazy on the Yulan Continent.
"These three divine artifacts," Linley began, his gaze sweeping over the people behind him before finally settling on the giant axe, "I can take at most one."
Throughout his journey, he had been using the Purple Blood Soft Sword and the Black Jade Heavy Sword. He knew that it would be a waste to keep all three divine weapons in his own hands. This level had been fought so dangerously thanks to the combined efforts of everyone, and now that they had reaped the rewards, they should be distributed to those who could truly wield them.
He picked up the sharp, crescent-shaped scimitar and turned to look at the crowd.
Tulilei's eyes were fixed on the scimitar. As a warrior of the Great Plains, he was highly skilled with scimitars, and this one might unleash its full power in his hands. "Everyone," Tulilei it Tulilei I owe you all. This scimitar is indeed a type of weapon that I greatly admire."
As he spoke, he looked at everyone. Desri and Olivier both nodded slightly, and the others had no other opinions.
"We killed the Flame Monarch together, and you were partly responsible for this scimitar too," Linley said.
Tulilei grinned, took the scimitar, and nodded solemnly.
Finally, Linley picked up the staff with a dark blue crystal at its tip. He didn't walk towards any of the warriors, but turned around and came to Desri, who had been silently standing behind everyone, protecting and sustaining their lives.
"Mr. Desri," Linley presented the staff with both hands, "You are Saint Magus of the Light Element, and this staff will help you further refine your Laws of Light. Along this journey, I am deeply grateful to you for protecting my companions' lives time and again. You may use this staff as you see fit."
Desri looked at the staff but didn't take it immediately. He gazed into Linley's open eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then reached out to take it, gently stroking the dark blue crystal at the top, a faint warmth rising in his eyes.
" Linley," Desri said in a low voice, "Then I shall accept."
Linley and his companions climbed a long flight of stairs. The higher they went, the less scorching the air became, replaced by a damp and ancient atmosphere. When the door on the seventh floor opened, they found themselves in a lush, primeval forest.
Ancient trees reach for the sky, and vines cascade down from their branches like waterfalls. The piles of decaying leaves at your feet have been there for years. If you didn't know this was the tomb of the gods, you would almost think you had stumbled upon a vibrant, secret realm.
The more vibrant a place is, the more dangerous it is.
Linley held the Black Jade Heavy Sword in his hand, warily surveying the surrounding forest.
"Be careful, everyone," Desri said in a low voice, holding his newly acquired staff. "Plant life loves places like this. Their roots are intertwined, hidden deep inside, making it impossible to distinguish which vine is a scenic view and which is a trap."
After walking for a while, stumbling and sinking, they suddenly noticed that the rotting leaves beneath their feet trembled slightly.
"Stop!" Linley suddenly raised his hand.
As soon as the words were spoken, the vines around them suddenly came to life. The branches that had been hanging on the ground and seemed safe all stood up in an instant, coiling around the group like venomous snakes. Many vines as thick as water vats sprouted from the ground, blocking all escape routes.
"It's plant life!" Fain's expression changed drastically as he dodged a vine that was shooting towards him.
The plant life on this level was far more ferocious than they had imagined. In addition to their entanglement, the underground roots also became deadly weapons, turning the entire forest into a giant trap. Although everyone fought with all their might, the Fire Element longsword in Linley's hands kept slicing through vine after vine, but the surrounding branches seemed endless, burning one only to have another grow back.
"This won't do!" Tulilei shouted as he chopped down several vines with his newly acquired giant axe, "These monstrous things just won't die!"
Linley fought and retreated, slowly calming down from his anger. He sensed that although the plant life on this level was ferocious, it was likely just an outer guardian; the true master must be deeper inside.
"Let's go in," Linley said in a deep voice, cleaving the path with his sword and leading the group deeper into the forest.
The further he went, the denser the vines became, the deeper the shadows, and the stronger the stench of decay in the air. Linley's sense of unease grew stronger, as if a ferocious beast, yet to awaken, lurked beneath his feet. He wanted to stop and investigate, but suddenly he saw a thick tree trunk deep in the jungle begin to move.
It is not a tree.
The enormous tree slowly stood up, its roots emerging from the ground, and vines hanging down like long hair. A deep crack appeared in the middle of the trunk, like a gaping mouth, spewing out a strong, putrid stench.
The Mother Queen, the plant overlord deep within the Necropolis of the Gods.
Linley's eyes narrowed instantly. His senses along the way were correct: the true Sovereign of the jungle was not the outer plant life, but the deeply hidden Mother Queen before him. She controlled the entire jungle's root system, and entering her territory was tantamount to entering her heartland.
"Retreat!" Linley made a decisive move, grabbing Tulilei and rushing backward. "This thing is not something we can fight head-on!"
People turned and ran away. But how could the Mother Queen allow them to escape? Countless roots sprouted from the ground, surrounding them from all sides. The outer vines all grew towards the Mother Queen, turning into thick roots as big as water vats, pressing in on the crowd.
Tulilei swung his great axe at the roots, leaving deep marks but failing to sever them completely. Rutherford's scimitar, though sharp, would simply sever one root only to have another grow back, an endless cycle. Desri, staff in hand, cast Light Magic, creating a protective shield for everyone, but the ever-tightening roots continued to shatter the shield.
" Linley, we can't hold on much longer!" Desri said in a hoarse voice, the eerie blue light on his staff flickering on and off.
Linley held a Fire Element longsword, its blade burning with molten lava, and managed to cut through some vines. However, he knew that this method of patching things up with Peter to pay Paul was useless against the Mother Queen's boundless vines, so he had to think of another way.
Its core lies hidden deep underground. Linley suddenly remembered what Doehring had said before, and his mind cleared instantly. Looking back at the Mother Queen slowly approaching in the jungle, and then at the Fire Element longsword in his hand, his eyes gradually calmed down.
" Desri, protect everyone for me," Linley said. "I'm going to find its roots."
"You're going alone?" Desri frowned.
"I have a Fire Element artifact, specifically designed to counter plants," Linley said, pointing to the hole in the center of the Mother Queen's torso. "But its core is hidden very deep; if I go in alone, I'll probably be worn down." " Desri, if you're willing to trust me, come with me—I'll cut the vines, you keep an eye on the hole, don't let it have a chance to move its core."
Desri looked into Linley's steady eyes, paused for a moment, then slowly tightened his grip on his staff. "Alright. I've trusted you all this way."
The two exchanged a glance and then fell silent. Linley, wielding a Fire Element longsword, slashed towards the center of the Mother Queen's torso, cleaving through the countless vines before charging forward. Desri followed closely behind, the azure light on his staff transforming into sharp beams that cleared away the roots on either side.
A sword light and a magical radiance traveled side by side through the dark forest, carving a path toward the location of the Mother Queen's heart. The plant overlord, buried for many years, was slowly revealing itself, and this was the place it least wanted anyone to see.