I'm building the perfect territory in the mist.

Chapter 54: The Past of Blackwater, The Key to the Holy Land

Shen Xing: "!!!"

A brand new talent? The heart of a strongman?

Could this be... the legendary breakthrough before battle?

Shen Xing was completely stunned, as if he had been hit by a huge surprise.

Although he had experienced similar scenes before, he was still deeply shocked.

It's simply because the improvement in this talent is terrifying.

What does a maximum 30% increase in all attributes mean?

That's almost equivalent to an elite transformation leader's advancement!

At the same time, wisps of red light rose from the orcs on the field and quickly converged on Hellscream.

His momentum was visibly increasing, and the speed of it was accelerating.

With all his attributes surging dramatically, the orc swung his battle axe with such force that it even deflected the opponent's spear!

A look of seriousness flashed in the Dark Naga Priest's eyes.

She sensed a unique aura emanating from this enemy.

That was the aura of a king!

Before she could react, the double-edged battle axe was already hurtling towards her.

The Naga priestess instinctively parried, successfully blocking the fatal blow.

But what followed was an even fiercer offensive!

"Ding! Ding ding ding!"

The clanging of metal echoed continuously, and the speed of their exchange increased rapidly.

The gale generated when the two weapons collided even cut cracks in the surrounding ground!

Under Hellscream's relentless onslaught, the Naga priestess was nearly overwhelmed and struggling to breathe.

Seeing their leader so brave, the orcs' morale soared, and they unleashed a furious attack on the enemy, pushing the battle line forward a few more steps.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Bloodhowl, who was also fighting a boss, saw Hellroar stealing the show while he could only barely parry the enemy's attacks, and became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

No, I need to break through too, I need to become stronger.

Bloodhowl Emperor, whose entire life was never inferior to anyone!

His face flushed red as he exerted all his strength to mobilize the power within his body.

But such a breakthrough in the face of battle is not something that can be easily achieved.

Despite Bloodhowl's frantic efforts, his face turning red, it still had no effect.

Instead, because he was distracted, he was almost chopped off the wolf's back by the other party's axe.

"Gorehowl, here comes the next one."

Shen Xing noticed his embarrassment, took out a bottle of [Dwarven Spirits] from his backpack, and threw it to him forcefully.

Bloodhowl grabbed the bottle and, without thinking twice, unscrewed the cork and downed it.

As the strong liquor went down my throat, a warm current rose through my body.

"Oh! It's so hot, I feel like I'm on fire!"

Bloodhowl is really burning.

He activated his innate ability [Blood Burning], and not only did his skin turn red, but his entire body was also enveloped in a layer of burning red light.

The next second, Bloodhowl activated [Wolf Charge] and charged towards the boss-level Naga like a crimson lightning bolt.

He held the long-handled axe diagonally in his hand, and in the instant he approached, he suddenly swung it upwards.

The leader-level Naga once again raised her battle axe to block.

"Clang—!"

The dull metallic clanging sound rang out again.

This time, however, Gorehowl's attack was not blocked; instead, the battle axe in the Naga's hand was knocked away on the spot.

With the combined buffs of [Dwarven Spirits] and [Blood Burn], his strength increased by 50% and his speed by 60%, allowing him to suppress enemies far stronger than himself.

"I did it! I did it!"

A smile of excitement appeared on Bloodhowl's face. Taking advantage of the moment, he swung his axe and slammed it hard into the chest of the Naga War Puppet!

The immense force sliced ​​through flesh, sending the enemy flying and rolling several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Before the other party could get up, the elite dire wolf beneath him pounced, its huge jaws snapping open to bite down on his throat, its claws pressing firmly against his shoulder.

"Roar...roar...!"

The Naga War Puppet roared angrily, its hands bracing against the ground as if it were trying to get up. Its terrifying strength was even too much for the dire wolf to suppress.

Just then, a long-handled axe, with the force to split gold and shatter stone, slammed down on its crown.

"puff!"

It was as if a watermelon had been cut open, and the juice was splashing everywhere.

The Naga war golem's massive body twitched a few times before finally collapsing onto the shallows and remaining completely still.

A level 9 boss creature, practically invincible below the second tier, was killed by Bloodhowl.

"Excellent! I originally thought Lü Bu was invincible, but I never expected someone to rival his bravery!"

Shen Xing nodded in satisfaction: "Truly worthy of being one of my top generals!"

On the other side of the battlefield, the second wave of Dark Naga who landed had almost been wiped out.

At this moment, the shallows were littered with corpses lying haphazardly.

Now only the fierce, pale-faced Naga priestess is barely holding on.

But she can no longer cause any trouble.

Faced with Hellscream, who had awakened the [Heart of the Strong], the battle, which started as a close contest, turned into a complete rout.

Blade Storm!

Heavy blow!

Kill!

Hellroar unleashed a barrage of skills, his double-bladed battle axe flashing in his hands, each strike powerful and heavy.

After several rounds, several deep, bone-revealing bloodstains were left on the Naga priest's body.

One of the cuts was the most severe, slashing diagonally down from the left shoulder and covering more than half of the chest.

I almost turned her from (◉◡◉) into (•◡◉).

The Naga priestess knew she was no match for Hellscream, and glared at him hatefully, her eyes filled with resentment.

Then, with a sudden flick of its tail, it sped away towards the Blackwater River behind it.

But at that moment, a wisp of wind burst forth from beneath Hellscream's feet, closing in instantly at a speed even faster than hers.

Swift Step, activate!

The battle axe aimed at her fair back and slashed down fiercely!

"puff!"

The axe blade cleaved through flesh and blood, and the immense force sent him flying more than ten meters away before he came to a stop by crashing into a black boulder on the shore.

She collapsed on the beach, blood gushing from beneath her, her breath growing weaker and weaker.

In its resentful gaze, it saw the tall orc approaching step by step, blood still dripping from the axe blade.

Just as Hellscream raised his battle axe, ready to finish him off.

"Wait a moment."

Shen Xing's voice rang out from behind, and the orc's battle axe suddenly stopped in mid-air.

The wheelchair rolled over the black gravel and stopped less than a meter away from the other party.

The Dark Naga priest on the ground raised her head, meeting his gaze directly into a handsome face and a pair of scrutinizing eyes.

"Ha...lowly humans..."

The Naga priestess stared intently at him, her voice barely a whisper, "You think this is over? Soon... you'll regret what you did today..."

Shen Xing ignored her threat and went straight to the point: "Do you know Garrett?"

Upon hearing the name, a hint of confusion flashed in the Naga priestess's eyes, but it quickly returned to hatred.

"I don't know the guy you're talking about. If you want to kill him, then kill him. Stop with the nonsense." She seemed indifferent to life and death.

"You don't know Garrett?"

Shen Xing frowned slightly and pressed, "Then why did he ask us to kill you? And why did he ask us to take the bracelet back, saying it was his deceased wife's keepsake?"

"A bracelet..."

The Naga priest subconsciously looked at her right wrist, as if realizing something, and her expression quickly changed.

"Heh... So it was that ungrateful bastard who sent you. That's in line with his style."

Shen Xing's heart stirred slightly; this Naga priest was indeed related to that wandering merchant.

Xia Wanyin walked over at this moment and asked softly, "What do you mean by ungrateful? What's your relationship with him?"

The Naga priest glanced at her and said coldly, "Weren't you sent by him to kill me? Just do it already. Why ask so many questions?"

Shen Xing shook his head and said, "It's better to ask clearly. That guy didn't tell the truth, and I don't want to be tricked without knowing why."

"Heh...not stupid after all." The Naga priest sneered. "You were indeed used by him. If you had killed me just now, you would have suffered the ancient curse of the Dark Naga race."

"In less than a week, it will turn into a pool of black water and die a painful death."

"A curse... how do you say that?" Shen Xing frowned slightly.

"Didn't you notice that I'm different from the other Dark Nagas?" The Naga priest seemed to have regained some strength and was no longer as murderous as before.

"no the same?"

Shen Xing scrutinized her several times with a critical gaze, then nodded silently: "You are indeed different, you've grown so much."

Don't get me wrong, I'm talking about strength.

In addition, there is a big difference in their aura. Other Nagas do not seem to have much intelligence, and even their life force is very weak, like monsters in a game.

This female Naga, however, not only possessed abundant vitality but also had extremely high intelligence.

"What's the story behind that curse?" Xia Wanyin asked softly.

The Naga priest glanced at her and slowly said, "Most of us Dark Naga are born in the dark sanctuary at the bottom of the river; they are the main fighting force of our race."

"Only a small number of Dark Naga are conceived by a mother and reproduce naturally."

"And we Naga, who are born through reproduction, bear the responsibility of leading the entire race and protecting the sacred land."

"Therefore, if you kill me, the Holy Land will cast an ancient curse upon you, and you will surely die."

"That ungrateful bastard wanted to take over the Holy Land, but he didn't want to bear the curse, so he used you to deal with me."

Shen Xing nodded in realization after hearing this, cursing inwardly.

Damn it, this mission really has a trap.

Fortunately, I didn't believe everything the wandering merchant said. It seems that even the neutral NPCs in this world are not harmless.

Sure enough, there aren't many honest people like myself anymore.

"Then why did he insist on killing you? And why did he say that the bracelet on your wrist belonged to his deceased wife? What's going on?" Xia Wanyin pressed.

Upon hearing this question, a complex mix of anger and sadness flashed in the Naga priestess's eyes.

After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke.

"More than a decade ago, a knight was crossing the Blackwater River by boat. When he reached the middle of the river, a strong wind suddenly struck, and he and his horse fell into the river."

"A young Naga priestess, unable to bear seeing the knight perish at the bottom of the river, rescued him and took good care of him."

"Perhaps they had too much contact during the caregiving process, and feelings developed between them, thus bringing together two people of different races."

"A few months later, the Naga became pregnant."

"The blood connection made her completely lower her guard against the knight and led him to the most important place in the tribe, the holy land."

"Only then did the knight reveal his true colors."

"All of this he did was to enter the sacred grounds of the Dark Naga and seize the sacred relic, the 'Scepter of Blackwater'."

"He sealed the Naga priest, intending to seize the scepter. Fortunately, the Holy Land had set up a final barrier, which cannot be opened without the key."

"In her grief and anger, the Naga priest used forbidden power to break the seal and drive the knight out."

"But she also died full of regret because of the excessive exertion and her pregnancy."

At this point, extreme hatred appeared on the Naga priest's face, and her voice turned cold.

"But that guy still didn't give up, and wanted to enter the Holy Land again to take back the scepter."

"This bracelet is the key to unlocking the sacred site."

After listening to her story, Shen Xing and Xia Wanyin both remained silent for a moment, digesting the information in her words.

The story sounds melodramatic, but it has some logic and explains why the wandering merchant wanted the pearl bracelet and why he killed the Naga.

Does that mean I'm the villain?

After all that fighting, it turns out they were aiding and abetting the evildoer, helping this wandering merchant to harm the Dark Naga race?

However, Shen Xing did not completely believe what the Naga priest said.

After realizing that the wandering merchant had deceived them, Shen Xing naturally wouldn't easily believe the one-sided stories of these NPCs anymore.

Moreover... if I let her go, it will be difficult to explain my mission.

His gaze fell upon the Naga priest on the ground, and he said in a deep voice, "You just said that killing you would incur the ancient curse of the Naga race."

"If I have someone else do it, then the curse won't befall me, right?"

Upon hearing this, the Naga priest's pupils suddenly contracted.

Xia Wanyin, who was standing next to her, also turned her head, a look of surprise flashing across her face.

...

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