Chapter 28: Deep Within the Altar, the Fallen Witch

Ruins of the Temple.

Exiting the sanctuary’s corridor, Gu Chen lay on a stone slab, closing his eyes to rest. If outsiders could witness the events within the dungeon, they would certainly mistake his actions for stalling. Although Lin Yuan and the others were bored, they were not idle. Taking advantage of the time Gu Chen spent letting his summoned beasts recover their energy, the four of them felt restless and joined forces to take down a lone Black-Robed Deacon. The battle went smoothly enough, though it was time-consuming, taking over ten minutes. Four people against a standard Level 10 monster, and it took ten minutes—during which Wu Ziyi even sustained a minor injury. Through this, they deeply realized just how terrifying Gu Chen’s combat prowess truly was.

After resting for over an hour, the energy of his two summoned beasts had largely recovered. Gu Chen summoned the Vampire Overlord and the Nightmare Sovereign, both now in peak condition. He looked toward the altar not far ahead; it was the final destination, one not even mentioned in the strategy guides.

"Let’s go."

The Vampire Overlord led ten Vampire Deacons to clear the path, with Gu Chen and the four others in the middle, and the Nightmare Sovereign bringing up the rear. As they approached the altar, an intangible pressure surged toward them. Lin Yuan and the others froze, subconsciously coming to a halt.

"What is it?" Gu Chen noticed their unusual reaction.

"Nothing, I just suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe," Lin Yuan murmured, his brows furrowed. Gu Chen looked at Lin Qingqing and the others, noticing they were also struggling, their expressions filled with visible fear and heaviness.

It was mental pressure. Gu Chen turned his gaze to the altar; the aura was radiating from there. The mental stats of the four were around 60, but the final boss inside the altar was undoubtedly above 150, so they were affected the moment they drew near.

"Your stats are too low. Fall back to the perimeter first."

Gu Chen spoke to them before continuing forward with his summoned beasts. As he reached the edge of the altar, a heart-stopping, terrifying pressure erupted from within, and the sky suddenly darkened. Gu Chen looked up instinctively. No, the sky had not darkened; rather, a vast expanse of purple-black light had erupted from above the altar, seemingly poised to consume everything in the vicinity.

A thick, rotten scent followed, surging outward along with the purple-black radiance. Wherever it passed, life withered, plants decayed, and everything exuded the scent of death. Gu Chen did not retreat; he walked straight ahead. The situation was clear—he had activated the boss within the altar.

"Why... did you betray me?"

A cold voice rang in his ears—a woman’s voice, filled with intense resentment and unwillingness. As the purple-black light of death continued to spread, a translucent gray shield appeared around Gu Chen.

[Black Deacon’s Robe Effect: Provides the wearer with a magic shield. Shield value equals Total Attributes * 10.]
[Current Shield Value: 8,300]

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The purple-black light struck the shield, instantly causing a web of black fractures to spread across it.

Snap!

The shield shattered. Over eight thousand points of shield value lasted only two breaths under that purple-black radiance. Gu Chen’s expression shifted; he immediately stepped back. The void behind him suddenly fractured, pulling him into a dreamscape and narrowly avoiding the wave of light.

At the same time, figures in black robes emerged from behind the altar. A cacophony of shrill, hair-raising wails echoed from all sides. Gu Chen frowned. These Black-Robed Deacons emerging from behind the altar were all Level 15!

Level 15 Black-Robed Deacons possessed over 50,000 HP and could cast "Gray Mist Curse" and "Damage Transfer"—they were outrageously powerful. If only two or three appeared, he could handle them, but now there was a swarm! At least a dozen had emerged, and the number continued to grow. Trying to kill the boss deep within the altar while under siege by these deacons seemed nearly impossible.

"Nightmare Sovereign, control those deacons."
"Vampire Overlord, push into the altar."

Gu Chen’s eyes were locked on the silhouette deep within the altar. Only by killing that boss could he clear the dungeon. The Nightmare Sovereign surged with black mist; with its current mental stat of 142, it could summon 14 Nightmare Servants. In an instant, shadows shot out like black lightning, striking the deacons that had just emerged. Simultaneously, the ten Vampire Deacons cleared the path, charging to the edge of the altar with the Vampire Overlord.

"Die—"

A Black-Robed Deacon rushed forward, blocking the edge of the altar with its body. The Vampire Overlord, face twisted in a snarl, activated "Deadly Shot." A barrage of silver-glinting bullets whistled out, forcing the deacon back repeatedly as its health bar plummeted. A single burst of fire wiped out 24,000 HP—nearly half the deacon's life.

Hm? Gu Chen’s expression flickered as he looked at the half-empty health bar. Did this mean these deacons had less than 50,000 max HP?

He scanned his surroundings instinctively. The deacons had been out for quite a while, yet the "Gray Mist" had not appeared. Gu Chen’s eyes lit up. He realized that the Red-Robed Priest had been the source of the mist, and since the priest was dead, the curse would not manifest. Since there was no Gray Mist Curse, things would be much easier. Gu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Vampire Overlord, tear that altar down!"

The Vampire Overlord activated "Scarlet Feast," instantly finishing off the deacon in front of him. Kill confirmed, cooldown reset. Seizing this opportunity, the surrounding Vampire Deacons swarmed into the altar, clashing with the Black-Robed Deacons. The Vampire Overlord flashed forward, appearing ghost-like in the depths of the altar, dual pistols firing wildly at the purple-black silhouette.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bullets poured out like a torrential downpour, but they were instantly swiped aside by an imperceptible shadow.

"Hmm?"

Gu Chen squinted. Deep within the altar, a gaunt female figure rose into the air. Her skin was withered and wrinkled like old parchment, stretched tight over her bones like a mummy. In her sunken chest, a gaping, jagged wound was visible, as if torn open by some evil force. She raised her eyelids, her eyes overflowing with endless darkness, and a rotten, dark aura radiated from her.

[Alien Species: Fallen Witch (BOSS)]
[Level: 15]
[HP: 158,000]
[Attributes: Strength 185, Agility 180, Constitution 215, Spirit 220]
[Skill I: Decay]
[Skill II: Damage Transfer]
[Skill III: Wraith Impact]
[Skill IV: Life Sacrifice]

Seeing the boss's stat panel, Gu Chen’s expression darkened. 158,000 HP! That was simply absurd!