Chapter 647
Shadow Rotting Swamp
Chapter 647 Shadow Rotting Swamp
"The third challenge of the Avalon Magic Hall has ended. Congratulations, High Mage, you have successfully completed the challenge."
After a brief, almost frozen moment of shock, the guardian deacon took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and announced loudly in a voice imbued with magical power.
His gaze swept over the defeated Verian in the arena, and finally landed on Gaode, who was suspended in mid-air, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
The guard badge has been triggered; the outcome is decided.
As he listened to the clear pronouncement of the guard, Virian unconsciously clenched his teeth.
It's not that I'm unconvinced.
After this legal battle, how could he not realize that the gap in strength between himself and Gao De was as vast as an insurmountable chasm?
He just felt humiliated.
As the strongest mage guarding the Avalon Gym, his humiliating defeat was, in his eyes, a disgrace to the gym.
However, this negative emotion only briefly lingered in my mind.
The next moment, he caught the key words spoken by the deacon:
Master Gaode.
The name exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
Not only him, but all the other mages watching the battle below the stage, upon hearing this name, seemed to have their memories switched on, recalling the key information.
Like a pot exploding, the atmosphere that had been deathly silent due to Vilian's rapid defeat was instantly replaced by a surging chorus of discussion.
"Is that the High Mage from the Sea Sentinels? Is that the High Mage who, despite being a second-ring mage, fought against a third-ring guardian and won all three battles?"
"Yes, that's him! No wonder he looked familiar from the beginning. I saw his portrait three months ago, but in just three months, he's already a high-ranking official?!"
"No wonder he was able to defeat Virian so easily. Someone who can defeat a third-ring opponent while only being a second-ring opponent must have grown exponentially after reaching the third ring, making it even easier for him to challenge other players."
A young mage muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief and a newly emerging sense of admiration: "Varian is already the strongest among us, yet he suppressed us so easily. This is absolute crushing power!"
The discussions continued like rolling thunder.
All eyes were focused on Gaode, who was suspended in the center of the arena.
Their eyes were filled with awe and worship.
seeing is believing.
The Second Ring Road Miracle, which I heard about three months ago, has now returned to the art museum as the Third Ring Road, showing them what true strength is.
Despite the crowd's discussion, Gao De remained calm.
He nodded slightly to the deacon, then flew out of the fighting arena, landed slowly, and accepted the Avalon Magic Hall badge handed to him by a staff member.
It was a bronze badge engraved with a venomous python and a mist pattern, with tiny shadow crystals inlaid along the edge.
The fourth badge is in hand.
Gao De ran his fingertips along the cool surface of the badge, his heart unmoved.
After upgrading his ring, he no longer regarded the Art Museum Challenge as a challenge, but rather as a "one-click sweep".
After putting away the badge, Gao De's gaze swept over Virian, who was still in shock, and silently dispelled the chill lurking within him.
He then politely thanked the guard and, without lingering any longer, turned and walked out of the passage.
The monks along the way instinctively made way for him, their eyes following Gao De closely.
The guard also watched Gao De's figure disappear at the end of the passage before slowly turning his gaze away and remarking, "This is going to be quite a show."
Now, how could he not have realized it?
The reason why Gaode disappeared for three months when it was at the height of its popularity was not because it gave up the challenge, but because it went into seclusion to upgrade its ring system.
Now that the upgrade to ring level has been successful, and Gaode has made a strong comeback with three rings, its next move will inevitably be to continue challenging the existing venues and complete the unfinished challenge.
Three months ago, he was able to use Gaode's intelligence to urgently convene all the guardian monks for a meeting and formulate targeted tactics.
At that time, Gao De was still a second-level mage. Even with his exceptional talent, there was always an opportunity for him to take advantage of.
But judging from Gaode's performance in the recent magic duel with Verian, his so-called tactics and weaknesses are, at least in his opinion, completely ineffective now.
When combat power achieves absolute dominance, any strategy becomes utterly useless.
Thinking this, the guard couldn't help but feel a morbid expectation.
He anticipates seeing other martial arts studios being swept aside by Gaode Maps.
This kind of frustration and shock at being crushed by geniuses shouldn't be a thing of the past for the Avalon Academy alone.
Contrary to the expectations of the guards at the Avalon Gym, after leaving the Avalon Gym, God did not rush off to the next gym.
They also did not follow their previous practice of returning to Fog Shadow City to purchase supplies.
He stood in the plaza in front of the academy, turned around, and cast his gaze toward the vast area behind the Avalon academy, shrouded in thick fog.
That is, the Shadowy Swamp.
As the largest swamp in Avalon County, the Shadow Swamp is extremely vast, stretching as far as the eye can see.
The swamp is filled with miasma, which shrouds the entire area in a perpetual, dense green mist.
Even at midday, sunlight struggles to penetrate the fog, creating only a dim curtain of light high in the sky.
Looking at the edge of the swamp, Gaode could see a layer of poisonous algae with a ghostly green phosphorescence floating on the surface, like a death carpet spread on the water.
Interspersed among the poisonous algae are twisted, black, withered trees, their branches reaching towards the sky like ghostly claws.
Fortunately, apart from the Sword Mountain Range and the sea, there are no other ley lines on land within the territory of the Golden Flower Dynasty.
Therefore, no dangerous ley line creatures inhabit the Shadow Swamp.
This is also why the Avalon Magic Hall felt comfortable building its hall next to the Shadow Swamp.
However, the absence of leyline creatures does not mean that the Shadow Swamp is without danger.
On the contrary, the dangers here are far more hidden and more deadly than the creatures of the ley lines.
The deadly danger of the Shadow Swamp lurks beneath every wisp of mist and every inch of land, like a venomous snake lying in wait to deliver a fatal blow the moment you let your guard down.
The Shadow Swamp is filled with Soul-Eating Miasma and various strange geographical environments.
For example, the "Vortex of Rotten Mud" can devour everything. The gravity at the center of the vortex is extremely strong. Even if you fly over it, you will be pulled by an invisible suction force.
For example, there are "bottomless mud pits" where you will sink quickly when you step on them. The humus at the bottom of the mud pit is as sticky as molten iron. It will slowly envelop and suffocate the intruder, allowing it to be slowly digested in despair and become part of the swamp.
There is also the "Shadow Rift," which radiates shadow energy and is the most terrifying killer.
These rifts range in width from half a foot to several feet. The shadow energy escaping from these rifts can not only erode magical power but also distort space. Once you get close, you may be drawn into the crevices of the shadow plane and never hear from them again.
Over the long years, the Shadow Swamp has buried countless mages and adventurers who ventured deep into it to harvest high-quality magical plants or explore ancient ruins.
Gao De stared at the vast, dangerous swamp, his brow furrowed as he fell into deep thought. The sweet, cloying miasma in the air, even from a distance, could be faintly detected, sending a chill down one's spine.
He was not a reckless man and was aware of the risks of venturing into the Shadow Swamp.
But
Finally, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he no longer hesitated.
The magical power within his body flowed slowly, and he activated the [Flight Technique].
Gao De's figure soared into the air, like a shooting star, streaking across the sky and speeding towards the Shadow Swamp.
The instant his figure disappeared into the Shadow Swamp, a sweet, cloying miasma rushed towards him, like an invisible silk, instantly enveloping his entire body.
This miasma was several times stronger than the one I had felt inside the Avalon Museum.
The mixture of the sweet, pungent smell of rotting vegetation, the stench of decaying mud, and the icy aura unique to shadow energy penetrated the nasal cavity and pores, causing a dizzying sensation.
The [Primary Azure Amber Body] activated instantly, acting as an invisible barrier to keep most of the miasma out.
The trace amounts of soul-corroding miasma that seeped into the body were quickly captured and decomposed by the Blood Purification Organ, which was already on standby, as soon as they entered the bloodstream.
What follows is a familiar adaptation and improvement.
[Your immunity to toxins increases by 114.5%, and your body's organs' ability to digest, metabolize, and eliminate various toxins increases by 110.4%].
As expected, Gao De thought to himself.
In the Avalon Magic Hall, he discovered that the Soul-Eating Miasma, which was only at the very edge of the Shadow Swamp, could still trigger [Adaptive] after being weakened by the Magic Hall's rune array.
At that time, he guessed that if he could go deep into the Shadow Swamp, under the stimulation of a higher concentration of Soul-Eating Miasma, his [Primary Azure Amber Body] would most likely be able to break through the bottleneck and advance to [Intermediate Azure Amber Body].
Based on the current situation, this conjecture is not wrong.
Clearly, his physical sensations did not show any particularly obvious signs of poisoning: [Primary Azure Amber Body] had already achieved initial immunity to the toxicity of the Soul-Eating Miasma.
However, the adaptive progress bar is increasing at a visible rate, much faster than in any other environment.
It seemed that the toxins contained in this soul-corroding miasma had a particularly effective stimulating effect on his body.
The two are highly compatible, making it a body-tempering pool tailor-made for his physical evolution.
Gao De's figure weaved through the dense green miasma, continuing to advance deeper into the swamp, seeking a higher concentration of Soul-Eating Miasma to gain greater stimulation and adaptation efficiency.
At the same time, his Mandora Eyes were fully activated, carefully observing any potential dangers in the surroundings:
Behind the black, withered tree on the right, a shadowy rift, about half a foot wide, was emitting a faint shadow energy.
The air at the edge of the fissure was slightly distorted, and the dark tentacles that were wriggling deep inside the fissure could be vaguely seen;
Three meters to the left, beneath a seemingly calm swamp, dark green mud is slowly swirling, forming a hidden vortex of putrefactive sludge. If any creature approaches, it will generate a powerful suction force, drawing the creature into it.
Gao De slowed down his flight speed and became increasingly cautious, calmly adjusting his trajectory based on what Mandora's magic eye had observed.
At the same time, he deliberately relaxed his body's defenses, allowing himself to continuously inhale the sweet miasma.
With each breath, a large amount of soul-corroding miasma floods into the nasal cavity and is absorbed by the lungs.
Then the Blood Purifying Organ operates at high speed, like a highly efficient filter, quickly breaking down the toxins in the miasma into harmless energy and expelling them from the body.
As Gaode ventured deeper, the surrounding fog grew increasingly dense, and the concentration of the Soul-Eating Mist steadily increased.
He only stopped when the concentration reached a level that caused Gaode obvious physical discomfort.
At this moment, he hovered above a relatively open swamp, calmly sensing the changes in his body.
It was because the concentration of the Soul-Eating Miasma was high enough that Gao De finally noticed something unusual.
Besides the stimulation from the toxins, he also sensed an extremely subtle feeling of life fading away, like tiny snowflakes silently falling on the flame of his life.
It seemed to be trying to slowly devour his lifespan.
This sense of decay was extremely faint, almost imperceptible, as if it were just an illusion.
If the concentration of the Soul-Eating Miasma hadn't been high enough at the moment, amplifying this effect several times over.
Furthermore, having cultivated the "Green Wood Longevity Scripture" for many years, his perception of life far surpasses that of ordinary people, making it impossible for him to discover the even more terrifying characteristics hidden beneath the toxins.
Now, Gao De finally understood why [Adaptive] was so strongly triggered by the Soul-Eating Miasma when there was no obvious physical discomfort.
The reason is simple: the Soul-Eating Miasma is not just a simple toxic substance; it also possesses a terrifying property of devouring lifespan.
It seems that ancient plants and animals, after decaying and decomposing in the swamp for thousands of years, did not lose their original life energy. Instead, under the catalysis of shadow energy, they were transformed into a critical energy between "life" and "death".
This energy forms part of the miasma.
It is so well hidden that the harm it causes is often imperceptible.
Consuming lifespan itself does not bring immediate pain.
Moreover, the amount of lifespan it loses each time is imperceptible, perhaps only for a fleeting moment, and an ordinary person might not even notice it in their entire life.
Gao De's consciousness was also unaware of this subtle loss of lifespan.
But his body, and his [Adaptive] talent, keenly detected this threat.
For the body, consuming lifespan is a terrifying thing.
Therefore, the [Adaptive] talent "makes a mountain out of a molehill," operating at an efficiency far exceeding normal levels to drastically enhance resistance and adaptability to the Soul-Eating Miasma.
After figuring out the reason, Gaode remained suspended in place, showing no panic whatsoever; on the contrary, his confidence grew even stronger.
[Your immunity to toxins has increased by 117.5% to 123.5%, and your body's organs have increased their ability to digest, metabolize, and eliminate various toxins by 120.4% to 125.7%.]
All around was deathly silent, except for the bubbling sound of decaying mud.
The oppressive feeling brought by the thick green fog was somewhat frightening.
But Gao De was completely unaware of this. He was immersed in the thrill of his rapid physical growth, feeling the benefits brought by each improvement in his adaptation progress, and his heart was full of anticipation.
As time slowly passed, the rate of improvement in the [Adaptive] progress began to slow down significantly:
Your immunity to toxins has increased by 147.5%, and your body's organs' ability to digest, metabolize, and eliminate various toxins has increased by 150.7%.
Gaode knew it was time to delve deeper.
He activated the Flight spell again and continued his advance towards the core area of the Shadow Swamp.
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding environment became increasingly eerie:
A low, mournful sound came from all around, like the whispers of countless wronged souls—an illusion caused by the soul-corroding miasma eroding one's spiritual power.
Even with Gao De's mental strength, he could still sense a slight disturbance.
White mycelium appeared in the swamp, emitting a faint fluorescence.
Gao De became increasingly cautious, slowing his flight speed to its lowest point. He maximized the insight of Mandora's Eye, carefully examining every potential danger and avoiding one trap after another hidden in the rotten mud.
Just then, Mandora's Eye of Magic suddenly detected an unusually strong energy fluctuation.
It originates from a swamp of decaying mud surrounded by black, dead wood below.
That energy was very peculiar, extremely weak in itself. If Gao De hadn't opened Mandora's Eye to its fullest extent, he might not have been able to detect it.
What's even more peculiar is that it carries an ancient and sacred aura, like a glimmer of light in the darkness, completely out of place with the surrounding decay and cold atmosphere.
Gao De's curiosity was instantly piqued. He slowly suppressed his aura and his body gently fell like a leaf, approaching the swamp that was emitting abnormal energy fluctuations, wanting to find out what was going on.
(End of this chapter)