Chapter 694: The Darkness That Even Light Cannot Dispel

In this world, there existed a name: "The Hand of Shadow."

Perhaps to those mercenaries and mages below the seventh realm, the meaning this name carried remained entirely beyond their comprehension.

The sheer vastness of the world was, perhaps in itself, something that surpassed the imagination of these low-to-mid-tier beings.

To ever come into contact with this name, one either had to be a being of at least the seventh or even eighth realm, or possess a nobility of birth.

And even they possessed only the right to touch upon the mere fragments of clues that leaked through layers of strict containment.

If one were to truly understand the significance of this name, the truth hidden behind the shadow would undoubtedly strike horror into the hearts of all mortals.

Perhaps it was a mercy that the minds of most men lacked the capacity to connect their separate knowledges.

Deep within the Silver Moon Forest of the Elven race, an elderly elf with hair and beard of pure silver stood with a hunched frame, his deep, clouded eyes gazing intently at the mirror-like surface of the lake.

The Mirror Lake reflected the clarity of the mind, as though it could directly commune with the heavens.

Gradually, the full expanse of the Silver Moon Forest manifested within the waters, yet a dark, heavy shadow seemed to bleed into the reflection.

"The Shadow Legion..." the Grand Elder of the elves murmured, "I have glimpsed their traces within the overlapping echoes of time."

...

At that very moment, Adolf, clad in his white magical robes, stood atop a soaring white spire.

Before him loomed a statue of a mage, a zhang tall, its face carved with ancient, rustic features, holding a skull-sized crystal ball in its hands.

As the chanting of his incantation resonated, a strange and ancient realm slowly unveiled itself within the crystal.

"Can you feel it..."

Amidst that emerald, vibrant greenery, a shroud of mist-like dark clouds lingered, as though an invisible hand of shadow blanketed the region, steeped in a lingering breath of death and desolation.

"In this world, there may truly exist a darkness that even the light cannot dispel..."

...

Meanwhile, in the distant Radiance Divine Kingdom, atop the Peak of the Gods where endless snow-capped mountains pierced the heavens, lay the Supreme Sanctuary of the Judgment Temple.

Saint Hynes had already journeyed to the highest point of the temple, a place where one seemingly stood face-to-face with the divine light, to seek the guidance of the gods.

Saint Dulan, however, was currently within the sacrificial hall of the temple, chanting his prayers.

Only after a long while did he finally step outside.

A priest draped in sacrificial robes hurried forward, respectfully presenting a file.

"Has everything been investigated?" Saint Dulan’s schedule was clearly becoming increasingly frantic; he questioned the situation while maintaining his swift stride.

"It has been cleared up... that 'Origin Internet Club' appears to be an agency shop for a cultivation mystic realm, a joint venture between several 'Alchemy Workshops' from the Eastern Continent."

"The Eastern Continent...?" Saint Dulan furrowed his brows.

"Yes," the priest said venomously. "It was bad enough that they stretched their hands into the Immortal Heritage Continent, but now they dare to thrust them right to our doorsteps! They truly deserve to die!"

Saint Dulan let out a heavy, cold snort: "They do indeed deserve to die."

If it were merely a small shop, it could be overlooked, but if the entire faction of the Eastern Continent stood behind it...

"We should rally every race across the entire continent to drive these outsiders from the alien land away, they are not welcome here!" the priest proposed loudly.

...

At the same time, Nalan Mingxue was running a live stream, completing an outdoor quest alongside several classmates and a group of elves.

Evidently, embarking on a quest in such a large group kept the danger relatively low, allowing them to chat casually as they progressed.

On the bullet screen:

"Watching a live stream while listening to the lore of the Elven race, this is an absolute steal!"

"Where did we leave off just now...? Was it about the elves dying in droves to resist that whatever-it-was...?"

"It seemed some order of knights joined the battle too, and many of them died as well..."

"What a sorrowful tale..."

"What sorrowful tale...?" Dong Qingli had only just finished her business discussion with the owner and intended to catch a glimpse of the stream. Having missed it entirely, she hurriedly and humbly implored on the bullet screen, "A newbie here doesn't understand, is there some new story?"

"Hey, don't just say it's sorrowful without telling the story!"

"Sorry, to the person above, you came too late."

"That's what you get for slacking off."

"..." Dong Qingli felt a wave of dejection. That wretched Owner Fang had dragged her into listening to something about "Ele.me," preventing her from watching the stream and listening to the story, even calling others "salted fish." Honestly, could delivering takeout food really make more money than running a restaurant?!

Feeling as though she had missed out on a fortune, Dong Qingli could only resolve to watch the recorded playback tomorrow.

...

Meanwhile, Adolf’s disciple was still in the internet cafe playing World of Warcraft, having finally grinded her way to level sixteen...

Release spirit?

The screen faded to grey, and the monster, left with a mere sliver of health, walked away without a backward glance.

Level 15, 99%

"..."

"Trix, your mage is really no good." Clearly, quite a few mages from the Royal Magic Association were watching her quest, having also arrived at Westfall around this time.

"So slow... and the attack power is so weak. It takes ages just to fight a single minion, why did you pick such a character?"

"I can't bear to watch any longer, are the mages in this mystic realm all this weak?"

"It's not that the mages in this mystic realm are weak," a mage who had previously witnessed the battlefield remarked. "It's just that *her* mage is weak. I saw someone else's mage earlier; a single ring of ice froze everyone around them right in their tracks. And there was that black magical arrow, which boasts quite impressive power, at least among low-tier spells."

"Why not change to another one?"

"I suggest changing."

"Ah... you guys are so annoying." Trix found it rather strange. "But this priest thing... why does it feel like the leveling speed is getting slower and slower..."

It felt fine before, when everyone just used one skill to go BIUBIUBIU. How was it that other mages now had several skills to go BIUBIUBIU, along with area-of-effect damage and crowd control, while she was still stuck with just two skills going BIUBIUBIU?

The most infuriating part was that if she accidentally pulled several monsters, the magical power in her body would be entirely depleted before the monsters were even dead.

What kind of Holy Light was this... how could it be so utterly useless...? To think it even had the audacity to carry the word "Holy" in its name!

And the opening cinematic even said something about the heavy responsibility of humanity being thrust upon her shoulders, so how could it turn out like this?!

...

Meanwhile, within the Deadmines.

"Hah—!" Princess Royal Ji Yu was already the first to charge forward.

Charge!

And in another instance of the Deadmines, Yue Yan, as a mage, also heroically rushed to the front lines.

Frost Nova!

The two-handed sword in Ji Yu's grip cleaved fiercely into the belly of that massive ogre.

Simultaneously, in the other dungeon, a wave of biting, absolute frost swept across the entire battlefield, as though to freeze solid everything it touched.

"Hmm...?" The dark-red-skinned ogre muttered, lowering his massive head with a look of mild perplexity.

A blade had just grazed the thick hide of his belly—scarcely doing more than scratching the surface.

A sudden flurry of frost brushed against his colossal feet, offering nothing more than a pleasant chill.

"..."

"VanCleef will surely pay a handsome price for your heads," he rumbled in a deep, resonant voice.

The two of them caught only a fleeting glimpse of a gargantuan hammer coming crashes down.

They collapsed instantly, completely incapacitated.

The two princes, who had been poised to charge the other two beasts, stared at Princess Ji Yu in utter silence.

Mo Xian and the others, who had been watching from the sidelines as Yue Yan attempted to control the monsters, stood equally speechless.

Their faces twitched in dismay, and they immediately turned on their heels, fleeing at top speed.

"Hey—! I'm still breathing!" Princess Ji Yu cried out, feebly raising a hand from the dirt.

Thud!

Another hammer blow fell.

"Did you hear something just now?" the fifth prince, Ji Yang, asked.

"No idea, just keep running!" the second prince replied.

"You guys..."

Thud!

Silence followed.

"..."

.