Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Backdoor

Inside the Pantheon, several gods looked gravely at Marilyka.

After a long silence, the war god Kenchi spoke sternly, “Marilyka, you violated our agreement with Heaven’s Will. You used divine power to interfere with the dungeon’s progression.”

Marilyka smiled serenely. “I know.”

She turned to face the other gods, her voice soft but firm, “However, I sensed the pulse of the world’s essence. When that human transformed into the Dragon God, the world’s core stirred.”

At this, the gods’ faces filled with shock and excitement.

“The world’s essence has awakened… does this mean he is the Chosen One?”

“Does this mean our world will be saved?”

Marilyka slowly rose from her throne, her voice calm but resolute, “I will go and see this human myself. He still needs to pass the final test…”

—

Back in the ruined Imperial City, everyone was still reeling from the shock.

The sight of Ye Xuan being saved by divine intervention left them in stunned silence. They had just witnessed the power of gods for the first time, even if those gods were sealed.

The event sparked widespread conversation and speculation. Who exactly was this Ye Xuan? Many debated his origins, but most turned their attention to the question that lingered in everyone’s mind—could this raid on Shattered Heaven finally lead to a perfect clearance?

“The world purification rate is at 80% already! If it hits 100% and they manage to defeat the boss, we could achieve a perfect run!”

“This is the first time it’s ever reached 80%, right?”

Many eyes turned to Qin Xian. Though his methods were ruthless, no one could deny his role in pushing the purification rate so high. The overwhelming majority of the Void monsters had been slain by his hand.

In previous raids, once the world purification hit 30%, most teams would stop clearing monsters and focus solely on defeating the bosses.

Fan Xing stood beside Qin Xian, speaking in a low voice, “Young Master, once the Empress Angelina reaches 40% health, she will cast a random skill. If she uses Filth Pillars, all healing classes can dispel the filth, and doing so will earn an additional 20% of the world purification.”

Qin Xian nodded slowly.

With 100% purification and the 21 Void Crystals in his possession, a perfect clear was within his grasp. Once achieved, he would likely hit level 30 instantly and gain the highest-level blessing from the ancient gods.

Suddenly, the ground began to quake, and an eerie, twisted voice echoed across the city.

“Mortals… how dare you set foot in my city and disturb my rest!?”

In a flash, Empress Angelina appeared, towering and majestic. Half of her face was strikingly beautiful, but the other half was hidden beneath a mask, exposing only a blood-red eye.

[Empress Angelina]

– Elite Rare Boss

– Level: 40

– HP: 770,000

– Skills: Despair of the Empire, Shield of Truth, Desecration, Filth Pillars, Void Assimilation…

Description: Empress Angelina, the last emperor of the Sanurmen Empire. After the empire fell, she led her last army in a desperate defense of the capital.

Following a hellish 20-year siege, the city was overrun. Angelina was forcibly turned into a void creature, her soul enslaved by the Void to serve as one of their agents.

The sight of Angelina filled everyone with dread. Unlike the previous bosses, she was exponentially stronger. One wrong move and they could face complete annihilation.

The empress hovered in the air, her gaze cold and disdainful as she looked down on them all, mere insects in her eyes.

“Charge!” One brave soul, a level-39 guild leader clad in heavy armor, charged forward—only to be swatted aside by a single blow from the empress, killed instantly.

Boom!

The empress moved with terrifying speed and grace despite her towering size. Each of her attacks crushed dozens of players instantly.

In less than a minute, hundreds had died, and her health bar still hovered at 99%. This was the final gatekeeper of Shattered Heaven—an unstoppable force.

With a calm, emotionless expression, Qin Xian finally joined the fray.

[Sword of Judgment]!

A massive holy blade descended from the sky, piercing through the empress’s body. She howled in pain, her health dropping by 5%.

The scene left everyone wide-eyed and speechless.

Moments ago, thousands of players had attacked her, only managing to reduce her health by 1%. But now, with a single strike, Qin Xian had cut 5% from her life!

Everyone knew Qin Xian was powerful, but this was beyond their wildest imaginations. They hadn’t realized the gap between them was this vast.

Having drawn her attention, Empress Angelina shifted her focus to Qin Xian, launching a barrage of attacks at him. However, Qin Xian easily dodged each of her strikes, gracefully avoiding her assaults.

Enraged, the empress’s blood-red eye blazed as her health bar continued to drop under the coordinated efforts of Qin Xian and the other players. Soon, her health had fallen to 40%.

“She’s at 40%!” A player shouted, anticipation rising.

The empress would soon cast her ultimate ability, and all they needed was for her to use Filth Pillars. If they could purify the pillars within five minutes, the world purification rate would hit 100%.

Even if they failed to defeat her completely, the rewards for achieving perfect purification would be astronomical.

“Let it be Filth Pillars, please!”

Everyone prayed, their eyes fixed on the empress.

“You’ve angered me, mortals!” the empress shrieked. Her entire body turned crimson as the scepter in her hand shattered into pieces, transforming into a crown that settled atop her head.

Then, a massive black gate, radiating a terrifying void energy, appeared behind her.

“Damn! It’s Void Assimilation!”

[Void Assimilation]: Summons a giant void gate and enters a shielded state with a 150,000-point shield. After a 30-second channel, all targets within a 10,000-meter radius will be converted into void creatures.

Disappointment washed over the players. Without Filth Pillars, they couldn’t achieve a 100% purification. It seemed like the perfect clear was once again out of reach.