Chapter 288

Immediately afterwards, the six clones vanished from their original positions.

"Swish! Swish swish swish swish!"

Dense axe flashes came from all directions, and countless cracks appeared on the water dragon's body at a visible speed.

Finally, completely overwhelmed, it exploded with a "pop," turning into a shower of water that splashed onto the dark lake surface.

On the bridge, everyone was stunned.

The three Overlord Rank monsters were Execute in a single encounter, which completely overturned their expectations.

Even among Overlord Rank species, this is something they couldn't do, right?

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! So this is the real power of Brother Hellscream?"

Qin Lang stared wide-eyed at the orc in the air. "As expected of my adopted father, I'm sticking to this powerful figure!"

"Miss Leina... you're amazing!" Xia Wanyin couldn't help but exclaim, her face filled with admiration.

Xu Jiayi and Yu Feifei stared at the enormous Shadow Dragon in the sky, their eyes filled with solemnity.

They could all tell that this was a true dragon, and a hero unit at that.

By that calculation, he now has three hero units.

And none of them have any yet; the gap is widening.

Shen Xing didn't notice their expressions; instead, he leaned back in his wheelchair, observing the surface of the water where the three water dragons had died.

But apart from a few ripples that gradually disappeared, there was nothing.

"As expected, nothing came of it. No wonder those guys all ran away."

He shook his head. "No normal person would want to waste time on a level that's both difficult and offers no reward."

Qin Lang nodded in agreement, "Yes, it's purely a thankless task. Shall we continue?"

"Of course I'll continue," Shen Xing said without hesitation. "There are only ten minutes left. Let's see if I can hold on until the end."

"Good!"

Everyone responded in unison.

Although there were no loot or leaderboard rewards, they were all taking this battle seriously.

As Shen Xing said, this is an excellent opportunity for practical combat, which can hone their teamwork and increase their combat experience.

Of course, this is on the premise that one can survive the increasingly violent onslaught of the Water Elemental army.

Time passed slowly.

Next, the Water Elemental army's potential will increase by one star almost every 5 minutes, including many Leader Rank units.

At the same time, 2 to 3 Overlord Rank water dragons will also launch an attack on the stone bridge.

This is also the most dangerous time; one wrong move and the formation can be broken, leading to a total wipeout.

Shen Xing and the others had to use all their strength to barely hold on.

Finally, after escaping danger time and time again.

It was 4:58 AM.

There are only two minutes left until the end of the fifth level of the secret realm!

There were hardly any people left on the bridge where everyone had been.

Xu Jiayi's Bayonetta and Xiao Xiao Stone Golem have heroically sacrificed themselves, Yu Feifei's White Tiger and Grizzly Bear have also been submerged by Water Elemental.

Of the Light Spirit guards who were with Xia Wanyin, only the Light Knight remained to hold on.

Even Shen Xing's Xiao Hei was recently caught by a water dragon and dragged to the bottom of the dark lake.

It's fair to say they're at their last gasp.

However, at this most vulnerable moment, several huge whirlpools reappeared on the lake surface around the stone bridge.

"Splash... splash..."

The water began to churn violently, and one after another, enormous dragon heads emerged from the whirlpools.

To everyone's astonishment, a full eight Overlord Rank water dragons burst out of the lake!

"Holy crap..." Qin Lang's eyes widened as he muttered, "This mode... it wasn't designed for anyone to complete, was it?"

"Eight Overlord, and so many Water Elemental, damn it, I might as well just jump."

The other three female lords also fell silent, their faces showing helplessness.

Shen Xing glanced at Leina's skills, then looked at the surrounding monster army, and made a decision.

"Qin Lang, cast [Sacrifice Pact] on Leina!"

"Leina, prepare to unleash the Cataclysm!"

"Everyone else, jump onto Onyxia's back and fly as high as you can!"

He issued orders one by one, and although the crowd did not understand why, they carried them out as quickly as possible.

Qin Lang immediately raised his longsword, and a ball of white light rose up, transforming into a glowing scroll that Leina's body.

The red-haired mage's aura surged several times over in a short period of time!

The 'Sacrifice Pact' grants friendly units a 200% increase to all attributes for the next 10 seconds, but they will die immediately after the effect ends.

This skill can also be used on other lords' troops.

Of course, the entity to which the contract is imposed can choose to refuse.

As for why she flew into the air, it's because Leina's [Cataclysm] will indiscriminately attack friend or foe after it's unleashed.

Don't burn them to death before you burn the monsters!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Dark red flames erupted from the red-haired mage, shooting up a pillar of fire hundreds of meters high before spreading wildly in all directions.

Shen Xing and the others felt the destructive heat and jumped onto Onyxia's back without hesitation, flapping their wings and flying into the sky.

When everyone turned around, they were immediately struck by a shocking scene.

The black lake surface was covered by dark red flames, resembling a raging sea of fire.

Countless Water Elemental were engulfed by the flames, their bodies rapidly shrinking and melting, eventually dissipating into a sky full of water vapor.

Even the eight Overlord Rank water dragons were writhing and struggling in the sea of fire like trapped beasts.

The entire Lotus Pond seemed to have transformed into a burning inferno, blurring the lines between water and fire, and filled with a destructive poetry.

Meanwhile, the time reached 04:59, with only one minute left before the Lotus Pond Secret Realm ended.

Players engaged in heated discussions on various forums.

"Is it all over? I think the lords from both the beginner and expert matches have already emerged."

"Yeah, I wonder if the Master' Arena is over yet. These Master Rank experts are all so aloof; I don't see them saying anything on the forums."

"Just kidding, he's Master! Of course he has the airs of Master, he wouldn't be bragging to us here."

"That's right. If I become Master, I'll cut ties with you immediately. Different circles shouldn't be forced together."

"Sigh, only one minute left before the rewards are tallied. I managed to get to the fourth level this time, that felt great."

"Holy crap, I'm in awe of this level four expert! Can we be friends?"

"Any level 5 experts out there? Come out and let me pay my respects!"

Meanwhile, inside the Jiangcheng Anomaly Handling Bureau's meeting room.

Director Zhang Yu, along with two deputy directors, Zhou Zheng, Jiang Rong, and others, waited quietly.

"The Lotus Pond Secret Realm is almost over, and we've had a pretty good haul this time."

A smile appeared on Zhang Yu's usually stern face, "It's a pity, though. There won't be many more opportunities to obtain this 'Rain and Dew Essence' later."

"That's enough." Elder Wang looked at the four drops of crystal-clear liquid in his hand, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you all for your help. I will definitely repay you in the future."

Deputy Director Liu glanced at him. "Old Wang, why are you being so polite?"

"Hehe..." Elder Wang chuckled and sighed, "These four drops of essence can keep me alive for another 20 years. Maybe I can really hold on until that great upheaval arrives."

"Then, I can use this crippled body to make one last contribution. How wonderful..."

As everyone gazed at the weathered old man and the genuine smile on his lips, complex emotions flickered in their eyes.

Zhang Yu withdrew his gaze and turned to ask, "Has Shen Xing replied? I want to discuss the acquisition of 'Rain and Dew Essence' with them."

Zhou Zheng leaned back on the sofa and glanced at his phone. "I don't know, none of them have replied to my messages yet."

"Still no reply?" Zhang Yu somewhat surprised. "It's almost five o'clock. The challenges in all the secret realms have ended; they should have come out by now..."

The others were also somewhat puzzled.

Beside him, Deputy Director Liu suddenly said, "Do you think these Jiangcheng Elite are still inside the Lotus Pond Secret Realm?"

Upon hearing this question, the atmosphere in the conference room fell silent for a moment, and everyone's expressions became somewhat strange.

"That's unlikely." Zhang Yu shook his head. "The fifth level is extremely difficult, getting more and more challenging as you go on. So far, only two or three people have passed it before being teleported out."

"Moreover, it's already been confirmed that there's no extra reward for persisting to the end, so there's no point in them struggling on."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that what he said made sense.

At this moment, the time jumped to exactly 5:00.

Jiang Rong leaned back on the sofa, preparing to log into the Land of Mist to check her rewards.

When she glanced at the leaderboard next to the portal, her pupils constricted slightly.

"Director Zhang... something's happened!" she said, her voice trembling.

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at the mature woman, their eyes filled with doubt.

Zhang Yu frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

Jiang Rong took a deep breath, trying to calm her excited emotions. "Look at the leaderboard, Shen Xing and the others' names."

With some doubt, they also entered the Land of Mist.

When they saw the information on the leaderboard, they all looked incredulous.

[Lotus Pond Secret Realm Ranking - All Stages]

[First Place: Shen Xing (Tier Two Transcendent), Final Level: 6 (Hidden Level)]

[Second Place: Qin Lang (Tier Two Transcendent), Final Level: 5, Survival Time: 60 minutes]