Chapter 127: The Palace of Transcendent Dust

The lake was no longer tranquil. Countless ripples surged and ebbed, and in the very center, a massive pillar of water erupted toward the sky. Within that spray, a gargantuan black shadow could be vaguely discerned.

The water cascading from the center of the lake washed directly over the banks, flooding the perimeter for dozens of meters. When the water finally receded, the grass along the edges was matted flat.

Before long, the dark object at the center of the lake revealed its true form: a sprawling, magnificent palace. Streams of water that had not yet dissipated cascaded down from the highest eaves of the structure, resembling a series of miniature waterfalls.

As the palace fully emerged, a wide, azure slab-stone path extended from the heart of the lake all the way to the shore.

Under the sunlight, the intricate details of the palace became clear. Before the main hall stood a grand terrace, adorned with a sundial at its left corner and a standard measure at its right. Surrounding corridors were lined with stone railings, each carved with exquisitely delicate patterns. Flanking the main hall were several auxiliary halls of varying sizes.

It was, unexpectedly, a complex of palaces with a distinctly Eastern aesthetic.

Zhao Nan took a deep breath. Looking at the name hanging above the center of the palace, he stepped onto the damp, azure stone path, and the two of them walked forward together.

The palace was named "Chuchen," meaning "Transcendence of Dust."

The mission Zhao Nan had accepted was to find a way to awaken the master of the Chuchen Palace. Only once the master awakened would the players of Tingfeng City be able to obtain pets within this special scenario. As for the method of acquisition, it remained unknown.

As they reached the palace entrance, Zhao Nan reached out to touch the tightly sealed doors and heard the system prompt.

"Ding! Does player Zhao Nan wish to open the Chuchen Palace, which has been invaded by demonic energy?"

"Open."

The gates were carved with a massive, monstrous beast, its expression ferocious, possessing an aura that seemed to look down upon the world. The doors slowly creaked open, and the two stepped inside.

Crossing that threshold felt like stepping into an entirely different world. Once inside, the entire Chuchen Palace was cast in dim, somber colors. Looking back out through the gate, even the sky appeared a dark, blood-red.

Within the palace, the air was thick with dark red mist—this was the demonic energy that had invaded the sanctuary.

Finina stepped back, but to her, everything outside still appeared normal, leaving her marveling at the sight. Zhao Nan smiled and said, "I suspect a series of battles is about to begin."

He pointed toward the upper reaches of the palace, where a massive hourglass had appeared, its sands already trickling down.

"It seems we must complete this task before the sand runs out."

Finina nodded and drew her sword. On the grand terrace directly in front of them, creatures with terrifying bone wings began to emerge. Their leg joints bent backward, their talons were massive and hung low to the ground, and a single, enormous horn protruded from their heads.

They were humanoid monsters.

Level 25: Demonic Minion.

"Looks like they are scaled to the average of our levels," Zhao Nan remarked.

There were two or three hundred of these Demonic Minions. Seeing intruders at the gate, they began to let out hoarse, guttural roars, dragging their heavy bone wings along the floor. They charged forward frantically, the sound of their wings scraping against the ground creating a sharp, piercing screech.

"Soul Roar!"

The cooldown had long since expired. A wave of gray mist manifested into spectral forms, striking a large group of the charging minions and sending them reeling in confusion, clutching their heads in agony.

Osiris and the Little Ice Phoenix, Saya, flew out simultaneously. One unleashed a draconic roar, while the other beat its wings to whip up a flurry of ice crystals. Each crystal was as thick as a human arm, slamming into the minions and forcing them back. Although they were level 25 monsters, they were merely common-grade. Finina didn't even bother with her Pandora transformation. Relying solely on her speed, she cut into the swarm, her sword dancing to create a ten-meter radius of blade light.

"Oh... so these monsters in this special scenario provide experience? They don't respawn after being killed; it seems they are one-time encounters," Zhao Nan noted, listening to the system prompts.

This was far better than the time at Oz Castle, where he had taken down a hundred elite monsters and a boss only to receive nothing at all.

The Chuchen Palace was a special scenario for Tingfeng City, a place Zhao Nan had never experienced before, so he naturally didn't know the guide for it. However, he figured that if they killed every monster inside and outside the palace, they would eventually find the answer.

Moreover, aside from the standard level 20 dungeons, there were no other places in Tingfeng City that could provide them with experience for leveling up.

Therefore, this was a decent spot for grinding.

"In that case... let's wipe them all out!"

Even though the Demonic Minions were level 25, they were far inferior to the mutated elite monsters that had swarmed the plaza when Tingfeng City fell. Back then, the two of them had held a corner of the square and slaughtered those elites countless times. Now that their strength had increased significantly, they naturally cared even less about the exact level of these common monsters.

The Sky Dragon bit into the fray with gusto; it had been pent up for far too long, as Zhao Nan hadn't even released it during their last fantasy dungeon. With the ferocity inherent to dragons, it opened its maw and swung its claws, carving through the monster swarm with unstoppable momentum.

The two or three hundred Demonic Minions didn't even last half an hour before being completely wiped out.

Their experience bars rose slightly. As Zhao Nan walked across the terrace, he discovered a green bead the size of a fist lying near the corpse of one of the minions.

"Phantasm Spirit Bead: One of the items needed to awaken the master of Chuchen Palace. Seven must be collected."

Zhao Nan looked at the massive Chuchen Palace and suddenly said, "Let's split up; it will save us some time."

He pointed toward the complex of halls on the left. "I'll handle that side, and then we'll meet at the main hall."

Zhao Nan knew exactly how strong Finina was. With her Pandora transformation, she could easily clear this special scenario on her own even without him.

"Alright!"

The two separated, heading toward the auxiliary halls on either side to begin the slaughter.

With no restraints, Zhao Nan's monster-killing speed was incredibly fast; the creatures simply couldn't withstand the barrage of his terrifying skills.

Rumbling sounds echoed constantly from the left wing of the palace. While the other side remained quieter, the scent of slaughter there was no less intense.

...

...

At this moment, a small figure slowly approached the gates of Chuchen Palace.

Clutching an ancient zither in her arms, her long, snow-white hair swayed gently in the wind blowing off the lake as she slowly stepped into the palace.