Amidst the flying snow, a group of cavalry slowly approached me. The wind and snow were too strong, so they didn't gallop. However, I could feel the coldness of the Stalkers' blades from ten meters away. To be able to become the guards of the fourth floor of the Purgatory, these Stalkers naturally wouldn't be weak. When I read their data, I confirmed this.
[Stalker] (Ancient Immortal Rank Miniboss)
Level: 326
Attack: 71000 - 84000
Defense: 90000
Health: 5500,0000
Skills: [Ferocity], [Peerless Strike], [Quick Battle Defense]
Introduction: The Stalkers are a group of hunters who use sharp blades to kill their prey. These Stalkers are natural-born killers with extreme speed and incredible attack power. They are the core strength of the undead. Moreover, after taming the Undead Warhorses, these Stalkers' combat power has greatly increased. They have also learned the meaning of Quick Battle Defense. They can quickly switch between attack and defense, catching the enemy off guard.
… …
I licked my slightly dry lips and gripped the Xuan-Yuan Sword tightly. I said in a low voice, "As expected, they are strong. Ao Dan, I'm going. If I'm in danger later, remember to save me..."
Ao Dan nodded. "Yes, don't worry!"
In the distance, I raised my arm. There were a total of ten targets, too many. God Binding Art first!
Swoosh!
The God Binding Art's energy accurately struck the foremost Stalker, binding him to the spot. The other nine Stalkers flew into a rage, raising their blades and spurring their horses forward, shouting, "Dammit, there's an enemy attack! Kill him! No one can enter the fourth level of the Purgatory Realm, not even a god! This brat must die! He must be chopped into eight pieces!"
I slowly retreated and used Ice Cyclone Domain at the same time to reduce the movement speed of these bastards. Otherwise, if they were faster than me, I wouldn't be able to trap them one by one.
One by one, the Stalkers charged out of the curtain of snow. Blood-red runes flew out of the hooves of their horses. That was the effect of the Ferocity skill. Their attack speed and movement speed increased by a huge amount. Tough!
"Brat, die!"
The three Stalkers attacked at the same time. Their blades glowed with a fiery blue light. It was [Peerless Strike]. "Keng keng keng!" Three slashes landed on my shield, causing three damage numbers to appear. After adding [Ferocious Strike], my attack power was undeniable!
“352718！”
“341672！”
“313277！”
I quickly retreated and stretched out my arm. A dragon claw flew out and disarmed the nearest Stalker. At the same time, this fellow was really fierce and punched my neck, dealing 80k + damage.
"Motherf * cker, you think I'm a sick cat if you don't show off your power?"
The Xuan-Yuan Sword surged forward like a fiery dragon. Burning Blade Slash, kill him!
To everyone's surprise, the Stalker seemed to have sensed the danger it was in. It immediately raised its arm and summoned a blood-colored shield. Then, it entered a defensive stance and the words "Quick Defense" appeared above its head. To think that three Burning Blade Slashes only dealt less than 1,000,000 damage to the Stalker! This was way too OP!
The sword tip sank, Crushing Strike!
“1212773！”
Very good, Crushing Strike! This bastard is going to die from the pain! The AI still isn't good enough!
While I was in a daze, the other Stalkers attacked me and my HP dropped rapidly. This won't do!
As I retreated, I used Thousand Ice Slash to attack from afar. Every time I swung my sword, all the targets within 5 yards of me would immediately enter a defensive stance. Yep, their AI would immediately enter a defensive stance if it sensed danger within 5 yards of me. Any further and it wouldn't work!
I smiled when I realized that there was something fishy going on. I swung my sword lightly and took nearly 3,000,000 damage. At the same time, I activated the Xuan-Yuan Sword's special ability, Ice of the Nine States. In an instant, all 9 targets were frozen solid. My Cloud Soaring Boots flew back ten yards before I swung my sword down and unleashed Burning Blade Slash at the mobs, dealing a lot of damage. The second hit dealt nearly 5,000,000 damage, and with the splash effect, the Stalkers lost a huge chunk of their HP. These were minibosses, so it was practically a miracle for a normal player to be able to take 20% of their HP with a single hit!
Ao Dan stood at a distance and drew his bow. He unleashed a fan-shaped Multi Arrow, dealing five damage in a row and greatly increasing his damage output. Now that I had grasped the basics, I didn't need to be afraid of these Stalkers at all. After all, no matter how powerful their Peerless Strike was, it couldn't one-shot me with my extraordinary physique. In a battle of attrition, I had a 50% lifesteal effect, so there was nothing they could do about it.
In less than two minutes, two Stalkers' HP hit rock bottom. My chance had come. Ancient Immortal Rank minibosses should have a chance to drop Divine Weapons, right?
With my Luck, there should be a chance...
I raised my sword and swung it down. The two Stalkers howled in pain as they collapsed to the ground and dropped a small pile of items. Under the cover of the Phantom Wolf King, I pocketed all the loot. Goddammit, they dropped 4 pieces of equipment, and three of them were Heaven-grade. What a scam! The last one was a Low Immortal-grade item, but it was also average. However, it dropped two fiery blue cards. My heart raced as I glanced at their stats.
[Stalker Card]: Increases user's Attack by 170%, max HP by 200%, and parry success rate by 20%. Duration: 300 minutes. Level Requirement: 250. Luck Requirement: 75. Cost: 1000 gold per use!
… …
This was the strongest card I had seen since I entered Heavenblessed. 170% Attack and 200% HP were both incredible stats, and I couldn't believe that they could coexist with each other. This was already heaven-defying. However, as heaven-defying as this card was, its requirements were just as heaven-defying. Level 250 and 75 Luck were enough to one-shot most players in the entire server. By the looks of it, there weren't more than 10 players in the entire server who could use this card. Moreover, it cost 1000 RMB per use. That was a huge price to pay, and the average person wouldn't be able to afford it at all.
That being said, I couldn't bear the thought that I might have to face the fourth floor's boss soon. 1000 gold was definitely worth it!
Swhoosh!
A Stalker Card flew into the air and I used it immediately. I could keep dropping more if I wanted. There was no need to be stingy in this inhumane map.
The moment I used the card, my HP shot up to 670000. Mn, this was a lot safer. If I ran into a boss later, my chances of winning would be higher. Moreover, the 170% Attack buff was equivalent to more than half of Martial God's Famous General Skill. Very useful!
I put away the other card and continued to move forward. I lured a couple of Stalkers into position and used Burning Blade Slash + Ten Thousand Absolute Sword to kill them. In fact, I even used the SSS Rank Ancient Divine Skill, Xuanyuan Slash. Every miniboss gave me 10 Divine Energy Points, so there was no need for me to be stingy.
In the 7 minutes that Autumn Wind Sweeps the Fallen Leaves, all 10 Stalkers had fallen to the ground. They also dropped 3 cards, for a total of 5 Stalker Cards. This was an absolute harvest. As for equipment, let's not talk about it. The Stalkers didn't drop any good equipment. There were a few God Crystals, but they were all below grade 50. It looked like if I wanted to get 100 grade God Crystals, I would have to find a proper Boss, or perhaps a God Tier Boss had a higher drop rate.
… …
"Alright, let's keep going!"
After cleaning up the battlefield, I called out to Aodan. She nodded slightly and said, "Mn, let's take it one step at a time."
"Okay!"
Braving the wind and snow, they approached the castle. The castle gate was wide open, and every five minutes, a group of Stalkers would rush out. There were 14 Stalkers standing guard in front of the castle gate. According to the clear strategy, they would first pull out the 14 guards and kill them, and then they would drop a few Stalker Cards. Then, they would take the opportunity to sneak into the castle with Ao Dan. The main road of the city was deserted, and there were no pedestrians in sight.
I rubbed my hands together as we slowly walked along a row of decaying houses. "This damned place is so cold!"
Aodan burst into laughter. "That's because your heart isn't calm enough after you became a God, or you wouldn't be able to feel the cold here. Gods can resist the cold of the four seasons, and this is just a beginner's trial."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Of course, I just became a God a few days ago, and I'm not even a Quasi God yet. I can't compare to you …"
But Ao Dan grabbed my hand tightly and stared at me. She said, "But I can feel that your hidden power is very great. Mn, you should be stronger than me …"
I smiled. "That's because my equipment is good …"
Aodan: "..."
In reality, that was true. The Boss' equipment might not be better than mine. Xuanyuan Sword, God's Fierce Cloak, and Azure Dragon Shield were what I relied on to enter the Purgatory. Without them, even if I ascended, I would just be sending myself to death.
… …
Further ahead, on the snow-filled passageway, Aodan scouted for a moment and pointed to the other side, saying, "There's a Stalker scout team there. We'll lure them over and kill them all, then we can travel together. We'll need to kill about seven to nine of these 20-man Stalker squads before we can enter the depths of the castle and reach the plane crack."
I nodded. "No problem!"
Continuing on, killing Stalkers was a form of enjoyment because of the large amount of experience I could obtain. More importantly, they could drop Stalker Cards. These cards were a great way for me to enter the next floor or even the seventh floor. I loved these cards to death!
… …
When it was past 7 pm in the real world, I had roamed the castle for almost 4 hours and killed at least 20 + Stalker parties. My experience bar had risen to over 40% of Level 257, and I now had 74 Stalker Cards in my bag. Happily, this was more than enough. In fact, these cards would even be enough for me to use in the Nation War after I got out of Purgatory.
Rustle rustle rustle...
I stepped on the bricks and continued forward until I reached the City Lord's Hall. Snow floated in from the corridor and formed a thin layer of snow on the ground. My Cloud Riding Boots made light sounds as I stepped on it.
Ao Dan suddenly stopped and turned around. He whispered into my ear, "The City Lord's Main Hall is in front of us. At the same time, it's the entrance to the fifth floor of Purgatory. Maybe, there will be extremely terrifying guards there. Are you ready?"
I raised my hand and gripped the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword. Flames wrapped around the hilt as I exerted force. I smiled. "It's best if there's a guardian. I'm always ready..."
Aodan: "..."
… …
I turned around a wall and saw a cold light in front of me. As expected, a huge abyss of ice and snow appeared in the deepest part of the castle. In front of the abyss of ice and snow, a huge throne appeared in the center of the hall. A knight wearing blood-red armor and holding a halberd sat on the throne. He let out a mocking laugh. "Heh, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you for a long time!"