Chapter 477 - 337: Ritual, Mutation_2

"I don’t know either..."

The young gunner shook his head upon hearing this.

"I’ve only known them for two days, and they haven’t explained their plan details to me."

He explained, pulling out a bottle of pure water from thin air and taking a sip.

"How much do you know about the Demon King now? Interested in discussing it with me?"

Wang Zhifan felt this person was pretty sincere, at least he hadn’t done anything to harm him during the previous monster hunts, so he decided to share the current dungeon progress with him.

The cowboy-hat gunner nodded immediately at this, and said:

"What I currently know is that the Demon King is about to manifest, but no one knows exactly when and where it will appear. Its power is said to be very strong, not something ordinary players can contend with. Fortunately, there are many powerful indigenous forces in this world ready to confront it. The dungeon’s arrangement is for us to assist these natives and join them in their crusade against the Demon King. As long as we can kill the Demon King alongside the indigenous forces, the dungeon will be considered complete..."

"Are you and your group from those kingdoms?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhifan guessed what was happening. Before entering the dungeon, Jack had mentioned that various kingdoms were recruiting high-level professionals. These people were likely part of a kingdom’s force, actively participating as natives.

"Yes, I arrived in this dungeon in a royal city. The players who arrived with me all joined the indigenous forces, but we were assigned different tasks. Our group is here in the dungeon to look for clues on the Demon King’s whereabouts, while some players followed the team to search for the legendary Divine Artifacts that can resist the Demon King, and others helped hunt and collect rare anti-demonic materials..."

The young gunner described their group of players’ situation, indicating they were luckier in terms of mission direction than Wang Zhifan’s group, who had little information upon arrival. The dungeon’s setup might have considered the power differences between various player groups as a balancing measure.

"What about your side? Have any fresh intel?"

After sharing, the young gunner looked toward Wang Zhifan with some anticipation in his eyes.

"I have learned that the Demon King is likely sealed and that we can collect runes to break its seal, or wait for it to break free. The seal’s location is in an Alternate Space..."

The other party was sincere enough that Wang Zhifan did not hold back and shared the information he had obtained, which caused the young gunner to quickly furrow his brows.

"So it’s sealed... those NPCs never mentioned this point, nor did they mention the runes. Maybe it’s because we players aren’t part of their core group and they saw no need to explain..."

The two chatted for a while, each gaining some insights, until the commotion from the old mage attracted their attention.

At this moment, the old mage had ceased reciting unintelligible spells. He fixed his gaze on the suspended lantern above the tomb, observing this now dimly glowing creation and pointing his magic staff at it, as if some dangerous enemy had appeared inside.

"Descendant of the Demon King! I swear on my soul! Reveal to me the Demon King’s whereabouts, and I will grant you freedom! Otherwise, I will imprison you forever, subjecting you to the eternal torment of flames!"

The old mage seemed to have imprisoned what he referred to as the soul of the Demon King’s descendant, and was now in the questioning phase, causing everyone around to pause their actions and focus on his performance.

"Hehehehehe..."

A few seconds later, a somewhat eerie laughter echoed from the dimly glowing lantern. The voice was slightly childish, very similar to the cry for help they first heard.

In response to this impolite reply, the old mage immediately took action. He tapped the lantern suspended above the tomb with his magic staff, sending a pure white light through the center of the lantern, causing the entity inside to emit a painful scream.

"Answer me! Descendant of the Demon King! You are but the most insignificant of the Demon King’s many offspring! A completely discarded existence! You should avenge yourself against it, not keep its secrets!"

After physically attacking the entity, the old mage launched a psychological assault, causing the darkness within the lantern to flicker as if the entity’s thoughts were wavering.

"I don’t know..."

Several seconds later, the childish voice returned, but filled with confusion, having no idea where the Demon King was.

"Chant its name silently! You will find out! Quickly tell me where it is!"

The old mage was instructing the soul of the Demon King’s descendant on how to locate the Demon King.

"Is this method really reliable..."

Wang Zhifan, watching all this, couldn’t help but feel confused. But, due to his lack of understanding in this area, he kept his thoughts to himself.

Amidst the crowd’s eager observation, the lantern above the tomb soon voiced again:

"Hahaha... it’s coming... it’s coming..."

The voice had changed from its previous confusion to one full of excitement and frenzy, akin to a long-awaited family reunion.

"What! The Demon King is coming?!"

Upon hearing this, the old mage’s expression changed, and he couldn’t help but look around, seeing no change in the surroundings.

"You’re lying! I will punish you!"

Feeling mocked and somewhat unsettled, the old mage once again used his magic staff to emit a holy light to torment the entity inside the lantern, trying to make it truly submit.

Unbeknownst to him, Wang Zhifan, standing behind him, suddenly turned around, staring into the distance with a very serious expression.

In the direction he was gazing, a crimson eye appeared in the darkness. This splash of red, not very noticeable in the current monster-infested area, gave an especially strong sense of sharpness, as if a single glance could pierce one’s soul, causing a loss of consciousness.

Of course, Wang Zhifan’s experience was based on ordinary beings. For someone with the title of overlord, he was unscathed, only a slight sense of unease reminding him this was no ordinary entity.

"Is that the Demon King? Why can’t I sense its form?"

In an instant, Wang Zhifan judged it was very likely a Demon King-level entity. Only such an existence could give him a sense of danger, but those eyes soon vanished into the darkness with no trace of any spirit or body, leaving him no opportunity for a grand battle.

"The Demon King was truly here just now, but has left."

After thinking it over, he decided to alert the others to the situation, but turning back, he saw the old mage had vanished. The spot he had occupied now empty, leaving only a handful of pale ashes on the ground.

Meanwhile, the lantern above the tomb crashed down in front of everyone, shattering like a fine glassware, its light no longer present.

"Enemy attack!"

"Everyone, be careful!"

...

Numerous NPCs around shouted, with someone casting Light Skill for emergency illumination, while others turned and shot several arrows behind them, even though no enemies were there.

"He... he turned to ash!"

At this moment, the cowboy-hat gunner was also visibly shocked, pointing at the small pile of pale ashes on the ground under the Light Skill’s glow with a look of disbelief.

Wang Zhifan did not pay much attention to what he said. Instead, he focused on where the lantern had shattered, determining the fate of the so-called soul of the Demon King’s descendant.

"It’s gone... completely gone... likely destroyed in an instant by some powerful force."

Wang Zhifan’s intuition told him this entity perished as thoroughly as the old mage, both killed in an instant, too fast for him to capture the exact moment with his senses.

"Is the Demon King demonstrating? Or is it a warning? Heh, its actions make me feel there’s hidden weakness."

Wang Zhifan might have been the only one present unafraid, but rather eager to meet the Demon King soon.