Chapter 74: The Hidden Fourth Layer of the Ancient Battlefield!
After decades of development in the Transcendent Era, the number of races that had been encountered was beyond counting.
Ye Ze had thought of several powerful and rare races, but the Summoning Skill Books for those races were just as rare and simply could not be found on the market.
“Once I get to the Demon Suppression Army Treasury, I can take another look.”
The contents of the Demon Suppression Army Treasury were far richer than those of the Exchange, and the chances of finding a Summoning Skill Book for a rare race would naturally be much higher.
“Let’s just hope they do not withhold the rewards after the special training camp ends...”
Just as he was thinking that, Ye Ze suddenly swept his gaze around.
The Ancient Battlefield had already been reduced to utter ruin by the Phantom of Chi You. The number of surviving trial participants had already fallen to zero, yet the dungeon still had not ended!
“What is going on?”
At that very moment, a sudden change occurred.
To Ye Ze’s surprise, another battlefield notification popped up before him:
【Detected: someone has fulfilled the objective—kill count exceeds 50!】
【The fourth layer of the Ancient Battlefield is now open!】
“I’m the only one left, so why open a fourth layer?”
Ye Ze was full of confusion.
Then he suddenly recalled the rumors about the ‘Ancient Inheritance’ from before the Ancient Battlefield had opened!
It was said that this Ancient Battlefield came from another world, a transcendent world that had developed for more than a thousand years. Its overall power was astonishing, far beyond anything Blue Star could compare to.
Could there really be another surprise waiting for him?
Outside, inside the Monitoring Division, everyone’s expressions changed when they saw the fourth layer of the Ancient Battlefield open.
“Old Wei, what is going on here?”
Even the usually composed Wei Zheng looked somewhat baffled. “I did not design this. It is probably a hidden stage!”
“I never thought there would actually be a hidden fourth layer in the Ancient Battlefield!”
“The conditions to unlock it are far too harsh!”
“You have to kill more than half the people in the entire field. How could any normal person possibly do that?”
“Could it be that there really is an inheritance from another world...?”
Although Wei Zheng raised the possibility of an Ancient Inheritance, even he himself could not be certain whether such a thing truly existed.
Yet now, someone had really reached this step!
In front of the dungeon projection, all the senior officials and regional heads from headquarters focused intently on the scene that followed.
Inside the room, the students who had just signed several Confidentiality Agreements had already consumed quite a bit of mental power.
Confidentiality Agreements were a common type of contract item, signed using mental power. Sign too many of them, and the drain left one with a hollow, depleted weakness, as though one’s vitality had been overdrawn.
And now, after seeing the scene on the fourth layer of the Ancient Battlefield, the students all looked at one another...
It seemed they were about to have to sign yet another one!
...
The Ancient Battlefield, fourth layer.
To Ye Ze’s surprise, the scenery had not changed at all. It was still the ruined remains of Vanguard City, only now his role had become that of the defender.
But the moment he turned his head, he went completely blank.
Fiends. Fiends. And, damn it, even more Fiends!
As far as the eye could see, black clouds covered the sky and thick blood mist rolled through the air. Abyss Fiends surged forward like a rising tide, their numbers impossible to count!
Ye Ze let out a sigh.
This was no surprise. It was a shock, if anything.
The Fiends blotted out the heavens and covered the earth, and every rank was present—Elite, Special Elite, Fiend Generals, and even King-class Fiends! Demon Kings!
“I’m supposed to fight Demon Kings?!”
Ye Ze was dumbfounded. Across all of China, and even among the high-rank powerhouses of the entire world, Demon Kings had been slain fewer than five times.
And now they wanted him to do it?
RUMBLE—
The ground shook, and beneath Vanguard City, a small force appeared, barely managing to engage the countless Fiends in battle.
Those troops consisted of many races—Humans, monsterfolk, Nature Spirits, dragons, and more—but they were being beaten back step by step, utterly outmatched.
They were on the verge of being swallowed by the endless Fiends.
Inside the Monitoring Division, even Wan Feipeng could not help growing serious.
“So this is the war between that world and the Fiends?”
“So this is what a war for the survival of the races looked like... How brutal.”
“Perhaps one day, Blue Star will see a scene like this as well.”
As the senior officials spoke gravely, the students who had remained in the Monitoring Division could not help discussing it among themselves as well.
Liu Anran said with concern on her face, “A fourth layer like this is definitely some kind of trial. I wonder how Ye Ze is supposed to get through it?”
Luo Yao added, “If he had teammates, that would be one thing. But he is all alone...”
Everyone present shared the same doubt.
If he could not pass this trial, would he still have any chance of obtaining the inheritance?
Meanwhile, as the Fiend army drew ever closer, a mission prompt appeared before Ye Ze:
【Assessment — The Fall of the Myriad Spirit World!】
【Assessment Objective: Survive for 30 minutes.】
【Description: You will face Fiend Phantoms of the same level as yourself and relive the battle that destroyed the Myriad Spirit World.】
Survive for thirty minutes while surrounded by nearly endless Fiends and Demon Kings?
Wait...
“The Fiends I’m facing are all the same level as me?”
Why did they not say that sooner?!
Then what was there to be afraid of?
The instant Ye Ze read the description, his confidence returned in full.
When it came to enemies of the same level, he had never feared anyone!
A level 16 Demon King was nothing more than that. Even if a level 16 Fiend Emperor showed up... no, forget it. He had never seen one before, so there was no point boasting.
Thinking that, Ye Ze confidently brought all of his summoned beasts to the front line.
Just as he was about to begin slaughtering everything in sight, a Human warrior lying on the ground, covered in blood, suddenly grabbed his trouser leg with all his remaining strength.
“N-no, do not go...”
“Run. Stay alive. Leave behind one last spark for the Human race...”
The warrior’s entire body was a mangled mass of flesh and blood, and his aura was faint. He had clearly just fought the Fiends.
Yet even now, all he could do was murmur weakly, “The Myriad Spirit World... is gone...”
Ye Ze let out a sigh. “Squirrel, have two Shadow Clones carry him away.”
Then he looked calmly at the Fiends before him and said, “I do not know whether the Myriad Spirit World is finished or not, but this battle definitely will not be lost.”
The moment his words fell, a phantom flickered across Panda’s body once more, and the mountain-like Phantom of Chi You manifested again!
Inside the Monitoring Division, the students who had just been sent packing by that skill were all a little traumatized.
“How can he use that skill again already? Aren’t stronger skills supposed to have longer cooldowns?!”
“Just how much cooldown reduction does he have?”
“Damn! Even the Three-Tailed Demon Fox’s Heavenfall Thunder is off cooldown already!”
Amid the crowd’s exclamations, rolling heavenly thunder crashed down in the projection.
Like mowing down grass, it reaped swath after swath of Fiends.
And the fox’s weapon, the Arcane Orb, also had the effect 【Restore 1% mana upon killing an enemy】...
With a single cast, its mana was instantly refilled!
Against monsters of the same level, killing them in an instant felt indescribably satisfying!
Before that, Ye Ze had also had Squirrel rescue the soldiers of the Myriad Spirit World army while it was at it.
After all, he did not know whether the number of surviving soldiers would affect the assessment result. In any case, rescuing them first certainly could not hurt.
As a result, the Humans, elves, monsterfolk, and all the other soldiers of the Myriad Spirit World army could only stare blankly at the scene before them, as though a god had descended into the world.
With a casual wave of its hand, the Phantom of Chi You unleashed Martial Saint Aura and wiped out an entire swath of Fiend Phantoms.
The few King-class Fiends that the mantis set its sights on were directly cut down by Void Slash, dying so quietly they scarcely seemed to matter at all.
The number of Fiends rapidly dwindled.
Ye Ze sat down out of boredom.
“Let’s hope the Fiends can hold out for thirty minutes...”