All-out: Starting with the Awakening Special Operations Unit, search, attack, and withdrawal.

"Captain, they've all retreated..."

With just over twenty seconds left before the mission's deadline, the man in the information position of Luochuan Squad finally spoke up to report, and upon hearing this, the rest of the squad members all showed a faint smile.

In this way, the task is more than half completed.

"boom--!"

A blade of energy, seemingly accompanied by the howls of vengeful ghosts, was unleashed by Sun Luoshan, the captain of the Luochuan Squad.

In an instant.

The [Bio-Creative Monster - Death Knell Man], who had originally intended to command the zombies to rush into the courtyard, was once again forced back out unwillingly.

Sun Luoshan smiled faintly: "They must be newbies who don't know the rules of the secret realm. They didn't do their research and went in just because they saw such a big building and there weren't many monsters around. Perfect... let's clear the whole map this time!"

Everyone immediately showed joyful smiles.

When the countdown ends in the last second.

[Biohazard Monster - Death Knell] emitted a sharp shriek from its beak, and the surrounding zombies roared in response, intensifying their attack.

however.

As a sphere of unidentified material, seemingly wrapped in purple vines, slowly rose from the Yinquan Well, it was grabbed by Captain Sun Luoshan.

The mission objective facing the team has changed once again.

[Benchmark Mission - Ferry Operation]: Bring the "Core of Yin Sha" to the [Ancient Shrine Stage] area to complete the delivery.

[Remaining Time for the Mission]: 26:59

"Boom—!"

A terrifying explosion, triggered by a surge of immense energy, instantly raged around the entire courtyard. It was the woman named Qingniao who had completely detonated the flying bird spell she had used earlier.

In an instant.

The hundreds of corpses and zombie villagers who had originally surrounded the area were instantly killed or injured.

"Walk!"

The five members of the team immediately and without hesitation chose to avoid battle.

Running at full speed towards the ancient shrine stage on the north side of the river, having already completed the benchmark mission "Ferry Operation" to this extent, it would be foolish to waste energy and resources to deal with a slippery "Summoner" who is as slippery as an eel.

After completing the task, the boss [Xi Yuan Ling Zhu · Su Wan Niang] will clear the map.

What they need to do is, in the remaining time within the secret realm, search the containers as much as possible, bring out the high-value supplies, and make a lucrative escape...

"No one's here. They should have all been evacuated already," the man who was detecting the location reported.

Before crossing the river, we conducted one last careful reconnaissance.

The Luochuan Squad finally arrived at the final location for mission delivery without any major incident.

[Ancient Temple Stage].

"This time it really went smoothly..." Sun Luoshan said with satisfaction. He took a step forward and walked directly into the area of ​​the giant banyan tree.

The [Grievance Aggregate - Hanging Ghosts] hanging from the giant banyan tree, which were originally preparing to launch wooden spikes, stopped the moment Sun Luoshan took out the quest item "Yin Sha Core".

They all stopped in their tracks.

"Clatter!"

The theater door was suddenly pushed open from the inside out, the opera music inside stopped, and the boss, [Su Wanniang, the Opera Master of Lament], dressed as a female lead but with gray eyes, floated out.

The terrifying sense of oppressive energy did not make Sun Luoshan feel nervous in the slightest.

This isn't the first time they've undertaken this benchmarking task.

This time, however, was the smoothest and easiest one yet...

The "Yin Sha Core" fell into the hands of the boss Su Wan Niang, and the source energy fluctuations on the latter's body immediately began to rise rapidly, until finally, she directly skipped the Energy Gathering Realm and entered the Core Condensation Realm.

This is still not the level of a boss that a secret-level dungeon should have.

Two lines of clear tears slid down Su Wan Niang's pale eyes.

"Alas... even if there were deep-seated hatred and resentment in the past, at this crossroads to the underworld, they should all vanish like smoke."

The boss started following the "storyline," while the members of Luochuan's team were already stepping forward, preparing to walk into the theater. From now on, this entire secret realm belonged to them.

"A once peaceful village has been reduced to ruins; it is an undeserved calamity. So be it—today I will send off these unjustly deceased fellow villagers."

"May your soul rest in peace in the earth, and may you sleep eternally in the netherworld."

Sun Luoshan nodded in satisfaction. The three paper puppets that were originally around the boss, namely [Ju-on Paper Doll - Guan Dao Martial Artist], [Ju-on Paper Doll - Water Sleeve Green Robe], and [Ju-on Paper Doll - Shadow Clown], also improved from the third or fourth stage of the Energy Gathering Realm to the eighth or ninth stage of the Energy Gathering Realm as the boss improved.

Such strength is something that only a top-secret secret realm could possess.

Just when Sun Luoshan thought that the boss [Xi Yuan Ling Zhu · Su Wan Niang] would leave the [Ancient Temple Stage] with three puppets and head to the town of Qing Tu.

Suddenly, the boss's gaze abruptly turned to the east, not far away.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

The dozen or so [Grievance Aggregates - Hanged Ghosts] hanging from the banyan tree turned around the holes in the burlap sacks, and the dense black wooden spikes shot out in that direction in an instant.

Sun Luoshan was startled. There was someone else?!

"boom!"

As the flames roared, a flash of red light appeared in Song Jiao'er's hand, revealing the red-quality weapon wand, [Lizard High Priest's Burial Staff - Thunder Spell], which instantly transformed into a roaring fiery dragon's head.

In an instant, all the wooden splinters in front of him were burned to dust.

A sudden sound came from the side.

"This boss is tough, it actually reached the Core Condensation Realm... Jiao'er, are you sure you can handle it? If not, I can take over." Chu Hong smiled, his voice showing no tension or worry about the situation.

He even had the mind to make lewd remarks to Song Jiao'er beside him.

Song Jiao'er glanced indifferently at the dead man: "Don't let the others bother me. I'll handle the rest myself!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Jiao'er suddenly raised her staff.

Having come with the intention of breaking through to her limit, she unleashed a forbidden spell that consumed a great deal of source energy with a single gesture.

"Forbidden Flame Spell: Wrath of the Fire Wolf King!"

The scorching flames, like a wildfire swept by a hurricane, rushed towards us.

The faint howling of wolves startled Sun Luoshan and the rest of the Luochuan team, causing them to show expressions of horror.

"This is a forbidden-level magic skill. Such magic skills have extremely severe side effects. How could she...?"

Sun Luoshan raised his hand, wanting to stop him.

however.

Chu Hong's figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Despite possessing only the energy fluctuations of the second level of the Energy Gathering Realm, he showed no fear or caution whatsoever when facing this senior in the Core Condensation Realm.

On the contrary... that gaze was still brazenly scrutinizing them.

"If you're looking for some fun, you can try coming over here..." Chu Hong said with a half-smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of loud, raging explosions of flames erupted behind him.

In the firelight.

Song Jiao'er is agile and skillful; in her hands, magic is like a beautiful yet dangerous art performance.

The 【Eternal Essence】modified her body, granting her the ability to unleash forbidden magic three times in a single session without side effects. This, combined with the red-quality staff 【Thunder Spell】 and the magic records in the 【Lizardman Priest's Handbook】, further enhanced her abilities.

If Chu Hong had enough external [exhibition cases] during the battle...

So Song Jiao'er in front of me has a lot of skills.

Control-type wood magic, fire magic for attacking and countering spirits and ghosts, and ice magic for crowd control and defense...

After a brief moment of shock, the members of Luochuan Squad saw through Chu Hong's purpose.

Qingniao frowned: "To break through to the Energy Gathering Realm, you're actually risking fighting a boss who's already at the Core Condensation Realm? You're insane!"

Her gaze locked onto Song Jiao'er in the arena, and the instant she made her move, she clearly targeted her, burning the [Ju-on Paper Doll - Shadow Clown] to ashes.

They have great combat intelligence, but... their energy source simply can't keep up with such reckless consumption.

Breaking through the limits of source energy and reaching the energy gathering realm is a process, not something that happens in an instant. Without source energy, how can one withstand the boss's attacks for what could be a few seconds, a few minutes, or even more than ten minutes?

Suddenly, the bluebird's pupils contracted slightly: "Watch out!"

She gasped in surprise, and behind Song Jiao'er in the arena, a shadowy, eerie figure suddenly sprang out from the ground, aiming to stab Song Jiao'er in the back.

It turned out that the [Ju-on Paper Doll - Shadow Clown] was the first one that Song Jiao'er burned, at some point when Song Jiao'er didn't notice.

The boss has already used other paper effigies to revive them!

It looked like Song Jiao'er was about to be stabbed by this knife.

A sudden flash of golden light appeared in Chu Hong's eyes.

The referee intervenes!

[Gold Pocket Watch] Display case effect, activated!