Chapter Six: A Lone Gatekeeper, Innate Talent

Night Feather's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. Only now did he truly witness the combat pet summoned by "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine." The AI of this combat pet was indeed comparable to the elite-level monsters encountered in dungeons, possessing a clear consciousness and an understanding of how to protect its summoner. At this moment, "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine" only needed to rely on the movement skills currently displayed to weave through and evade attacks.

Yet Night Feather was well aware that the skills he saw from "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine" were just the surface, the very tip of the iceberg. He could not discern the special direction of "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine’s" customized talent tree.

Furthermore, the monster before them was not particularly high-level; its only notable feature was that its health was roughly three times that of a typical wild monster. For Night Feather and his companions, this was hardly a challenge. After dispatching the wave of monsters, Night Feather inspected the resources they dropped and smiled faintly. “Nice drops, and these items clearly have high demand in the auction house.”

The group glanced at Night Feather’s location and saw the item information he displayed: Taishan Spirit Stone.

The Taishan Spirit Stone was one of the highly sought-after materials for refining and enhancing equipment in the late game. Each stone was fixed at a value of one hundred gold in the auction house.

“One hundred gold? I’ve already got four from a single wave. Making money seems a bit too easy!”

A look of surprise crossed "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine’s" face, his eyes reflecting a hint of astonishment—he evidently did not know the significance of the Taishan Spirit Stone.

“To be honest, I don’t quite understand the material’s value either. Maybe it’s because its acquisition method is unclear, which drives up its worth. Plus, this forbidden zone isn’t a popular destination on other servers.”

Upon hearing this, Night Feather shrugged lightly. At that moment, Huang Hong suddenly called out from afar, “Everyone, look!”

Following Huang Hong’s call, everyone’s gaze naturally shifted to his position. They observed that the bodies of the cultists from the Evil Church had not disappeared. Instead, from the wounds and scars on their bodies, wisps of energy continuously emanated and drifted away. Yet, no one could discern where this energy was heading.

Night Feather had previously consulted official records of the Divine Ruins for information on the Taishan Forbidden Zone, seeking key insights. However, he had never encountered this particular phenomenon before, so he had only a tentative understanding of the significance behind this drifting energy.

“The difficulty of these monsters differs slightly from what we anticipated. Any one of us can handle them alone. We should stick to the plan Old Third suggested—taking turns to defeat these cultists. A relay battle suits our current situation best.”

Seeing this, Huang Hong was the first to speak, gripping his spear tightly and swinging it with a flourish. The spear moved like a dragon unleashed.

“A relay battle to attack these monsters? Is that to minimize the appearance of negative status effects? Though it might increase the time spent and even be a bit tiring.”

At this moment, "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine" found a spot free from the cultists’ patrols and sat down cross-legged. With his right hand extended, the combat pet guarding him dissipated. Resting his left elbow on his left knee and propping his chin up, he smiled and said, “You have to realize, while these monsters are not too difficult, their health is far greater than other wild monsters.”

Huang Hong paid no heed to "Hero Trapped by a Cup of Wine’s" remark. With a leap, he swept his spear in a cold gleam, stirring a fierce wind. The spear’s light flickered as it struck several cultists nearby, simultaneously shattering the ground’s formation. This caused the cultists standing on the formation to enter a brief berserk state, launching themselves as a violent barrage toward Huang Hong.

Huang Hong took a small step back, spun his body, and swept his spear again, unleashing a storm of spear shadows.

“Storm Pear Blossom Needles.”

Under the surge of momentum, Huang Hong’s attack power amplified significantly, and the damage he inflicted on the cultists became increasingly apparent.

This was one of the ultimate talents Huang Hong had set in his customized talent skill tree.

“Stand Alone.”

When facing multiple enemies alone, the skill increases one’s attack power proportionally, boosts damage dealt, and if health falls below thirty percent, raises physical and magical defenses. This talent was undoubtedly designed to unlock infinite potential when standing solo.

Thanks to this talent’s enhancement, Huang Hong deftly evaded the cultists’ silver needle attacks. After dodging, his strikes became even more ferocious. With a single step, he seemed but a flash of cold light, appearing behind the cultists in an instant.

Because of the prowess granted by his talent, Huang Hong’s short-term amplification exceeded expectations. After deploying a small-area control skill, the cultists were immobilized on the spot. Huang Hong then halted at another position, suddenly pivoted, and thrust his spear forward.

With spear in hand, the spear darted forth like a dragon!

At this moment, Huang Hong’s spear radiated dazzling brilliance—he had clearly charged an attack. The damage from this thrust was naturally doubled, and coupled with his existing talent bonuses, it was formidable indeed.

In an instant, Night Feather and the others clearly saw spear shadows swirling around the cultists. When Huang Hong unleashed a fan-shaped attack just ahead, nearly all the cultists caught in the strike saw their health drop to between twenty and thirty percent.

As the control effect ended, Huang Hong stepped back slightly. A fierce aura burst forth, further boosting his attack attributes. He thrust his spear again.

“Storm Pear Blossom Needles.”

This time, Huang Hong’s group attack skill dealt massive damage. Many cultists were blown back by the spear’s force, while those with only twenty percent health were instantly slain by Huang Hong’s assault.

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