Chapter 157: The Unmentionable Land

Level 18, the progress is quite decent! But still a bit slower than I was back in the day, Pang Ding boasted shamelessly.
Is that so... Luo Yong gave a perfunctory reply and continued poking at the wall.
Clang, clang, clang!
Thud, thud, thud!
Poke, poke, poke! What the heck are you poking at, are you trying to poke a hole in the floor?! Pang Ding irritably yanked Luo Yong back. Realizing something seemed off with his state, he quickly asked, What is going on?
...
Luo Yong turned around, gazed at this dead lover's spherical creature, and said, Have you ever thought that perhaps the resurrection spell in necromancy cannot truly bring your Belinda back to life?
Huh? What did you say? Pang Ding's eyes widened instantly. Surprisingly, he was actually able to open his eyes.
Perhaps only the descendants of the gods, or the awakened ones among the divine bloodline, can truly bring the dead back to life, just like Guy Rella, Luo Yong said.
You mean... you don't want to help me resurrect Belinda anymore? Pang Ding asked, his expression turning solemn in an instant.
Have you ever witnessed a resurrection spell? Do you know what kind of magic it is? Why can a dead life live again? Luo Yong asked.
Life is inherently a miraculous thing, Pang Ding said. I don't need to know how it works, nor do I need to understand what death is. I only know that since you promised me, you must fulfill it. Otherwise, I really will kill you just to test whether necromancy will drop items.
If you are in such a hurry, I can try it right now. With rune gems, the casting effect should be the same, Luo Yong said.
...
Pang Ding hesitated for a moment. Although he was in a genuine rush, this was by no means a trivial matter—
You bastard! What on earth is going on, why would you suddenly say something like that?! I was originally planning to let you test it somewhere else first, and if it really succeeded, it wouldn't be too late to save Belinda afterwards!!
I can't speak for others, but there is definitely a reason why you are vertically challenged... Luo Yong was left speechless by Pang Ding's words. This fellow had harbor no good intentions from the very beginning, scheming at every turn.
I am busy looking for energy keystones right now... Wait, there are many things I cannot handle by blindly grinding levels like before, so you need to have some patience; it might take a long time, Luo Yong said.
...It doesn't matter. I've already waited for so long anyway, a little longer is nothing.
Unexpectedly, Pang Ding did not fly into a rage as he did before, but rather accepted everything quite calmly.
What are you looking for? Energy keystones? Are they in this dungeon? Do you intend to just keep hammering away like this?
Pang Ding expressed skepticism toward Luo Yong's behavior. As a pay-to-win tycoon, wouldn't you even bother to check the trading house?
Uh...
Luo Yong paused, feeling a momentary sense of bewilderment, before snapping back to reality.
It's useless. If they existed, they would have been collected long ago given how much time has passed. But since so many materials are still missing even now, they must be completely unavailable in the black market and similar places! Luo Yong said.
You still can't just keep hammering away like this. How long is this going to take?
There are only thirty years anyway, so whenever it finishes, it finishes!
...
Pang Ding inquired in detail, learning from Luo Yong about several items he needed to find.
Well, I don't know about the others, but there is one—ancient dragon crystal—that has appeared in Dragonland. However, that place is far more dangerous than the Blood Moon Continent. Not to mention you, even I could die at any moment if I went there. Therefore, leveling up is something we still cannot let go of, Pang Ding said.
How dangerous could it be? I have equipment that can prevent me from being detected, Luo Yong said nonchalantly.
How dangerous could it be? The average monster level is between 30 and 50. A casual sneeze from one of them could blow you away, and a casual swipe of a tail could shatter your body! How dangerous could it be? If you have a death wish, you can go right now, Pang Ding said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Is that so...
Luo Yong pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, I am still too weak. Let's go back and grind levels!
Wait!
Pang Ding stopped Luo Yong, snatched the teleportation scroll from his hand, shoved it into his own pocket, and said, True strength is not just about leveling up, but also about the corresponding combat prowess. Are you ready?
Of course.
Luo Yong looked at the other's serious demeanor and said emotionlessly, I've been ready for a long time. I'm ready at all times.
Then listen carefully: truly becoming strong is definitely not as simple as you imagine.
Pang Ding paced back and forth in front of Luo Yong a few times and said, For example, your current class is [Forbidden Art Guard], right? I remember that when you reach level 20, there should be an AoE skill called [Spear Shaking Technique].
What are you trying to say? Luo Yong asked.
If you want to become truly strong—or rather, a true expert—you shouldn't rely on leveling up, but use such skills purely through your own mastery!
To be precise, it means mastering the Spear Shaking Technique on your own at your current stage, breaking through the limits of your level, and forcibly elevating your combat prowess!
At this point, Pang Ding carefully sized up Luo Yong and said, I'd say you possess the capital for this.
Just... brute-force practice? Luo Yong asked in surprise.
Correct. In many places outside the Blood Moon Continent, there is no reasoning with anyone; you just have to fight head-on. Under such circumstances, it doesn't matter who has a higher level—it depends on whose combat power is fiercer, on who is tougher!
If you want to survive in such a place, to survive for a long time and find what you are looking for, you must first make yourself strong—stronger than everyone else!
Surpassing the limits of level? Luo Yong murmured softly, a peculiar light flashing in his eyes.
Come to think of it, if it weren't for the sake of rapidly leveling up to reach the threshold where he could use the resurrection spell, Luo Yong would also have liked to properly enhance his combat prowess.
This is the key to the Trial Grounds. Pang Ding suddenly produced a strangely shaped key and said, Originally I wanted to go myself, but you need it more right now, so I'll let you have it!
However, as compensation, you must give me a few more golden spheres, preferably the kind that can summon avatars!
... Luo Yong took the key, examined it closely, and then slashed through the empty air. A flash of light illuminated the space as a magic portal was constructed, tearing open the void to reveal a doorway.
This is...
Luo Yong looked inside, as if gazing at an endless starry expanse.
Moreover, something seemed to have flashed past, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
[The Place That Must Not Be Named], Pang Ding said solemnly.
What? This is the place those few descendants of the gods fought for... Luo Yong looked at the key in his hand, then at Pang Ding, with an expression of disbelief.
Don't look at me like that. I didn't know at first either, but things just happened to coincide so coincidentally! Pang Ding said with a wronged expression.
Originally, he had planned to sell all the wizard relics he had acquired at high prices in exchange for plenty of money and goods, then spend them at Nazdak in Sunset Town, marching into the Ancient Devourer...
Yet, through a twist of fate, these things ended up in the hands of those divine descendants, leading to those events.
But where did you get this key from?
Luo Yong asked.
He was beginning to get used to this sort of thing. Anyway, this fat old man was rotten to the core; no matter what kind of stunt he pulled, nothing would be surprising.
Just reselling these wizard relics to make a profit in gems for his own consumption was already considered an act of great mercy.
This... When it came to this, Pang Ding felt an unusual pang of guilt and said, That day, I was wandering aimlessly around the dungeon, hoping to beat some monsters and open some chests, looking to see if there were any other wizard relics lying around. But I accidentally picked up this key...
So you've already been inside and wreaked havoc? Luo Yong asked.
I just took a quick stroll around. The trials inside aren't suited for me, so you should go in yourself and grow stronger sooner! Pang Ding said.
Here.
Luo Yong directly shoved five golden spheres into Pang Ding's hands, then stepped into the Trial Grounds.
Beneath his feet were suspended stepping stones, surrounded by an eternally silent starry expanse with not a single sound around him.
The void behind him closed, cutting off everything.
Footsteps sounded in the distance. Luo Yong looked ahead to see a swarm of monsters rushing toward him, completely crowding the stone pathway. A moment of carelessness could cause him to fall off.
Here, he felt somewhat restricted. The connection between himself and the Magic Energy Puppet seemed to have been severed, making it impossible to summon.
And although the Miser Spider was right beside him, it had already been hit with the pause button; in this special place, it could no longer act freely.
Fine, if anything drops this time, I'll pick it up myself.
Luo Yong swung the spear in his hand and charged straight at the oncoming monsters!
Die!
With a booming shout, Luo Yong lashed out with sweeping, powerful strikes, shattering the monster at the front. It felt somewhat strenuous, not nearly as simple as he had imagined.
The monsters here, even if they weren't quite level 18, were not far off.
They could be killed, but if he wanted to steamroll them, it would depend on whether Luo Yong had the capability.
Good! I will stay right here, and before reaching level 20, I will master the Spear Shaking Technique on my own!
Luo Yong muttered to himself, secretly resolving in his heart that it wouldn't be just the Forbidden Art Guard's Spear Shaking Technique, but also the Gale Swordsman's Zero-Style Sword Technique, the Wind Whisperer's Wind Dragon, the Magic Swordsman's Sword Magic...
Snap!
As Luo Yong shattered yet another monster, aside from some gems, a scroll finally dropped.
Hellfire?
This was a standalone skill, similar to the Gravity scroll. Regardless of level, regardless of... ordinary classes could learn it.
Certain Holy Light classes had no way to learn this skill, however.
Strictly speaking, this was a dark-attribute skill.
Those who learned it would unleash dark energy when utilizing it.