This assassin is upright

Chapter 382 The Ninth Level of the Netherworld!
Without the slightest hesitation, the five of them made their move the moment the fruit ripened.

grab!
They had been lying in wait beside different fruits, waiting for them to ripen before striking at the same time, grabbing the ripe fruits and swallowing them directly.

By the time the second level of cognitive demons below, who were preparing to fight and compete, realized that the fruit had disappeared, Yu Zhun and his group of five had already reappeared in front of them.

Moreover, it is in the form of an ape-like monster.

"kill!"

Although they didn't know what had happened, the group of demons were enraged almost instantly.

This fruit tree is unique; the energy it produces far exceeds that of other black fruits, making it the most likely key to leaving the eighth level of the Netherworld, according to many demons with second-level cognition.

Their constant fighting ended up benefiting a few monkeys?

Who can bear this?

In an instant, countless attacks rained down on Yu Zhun and his companions like a storm. Under the rules of the eighth level, these attacks far surpassed the strength of Yu Zhun and his companions. If they hit, they could easily kill them on the spot.

Yu Zhun's expression changed slightly, but he immediately realized something unusual about his body and shouted at the other four.

"Hide in a tree!"

As the sound faded, Yu Zhun's body seemed to disappear into the giant fruit tree beneath his feet as if falling into water, and the other four did the same.

By the time the attacks arrived, the five had already vanished, leaving behind only a group of bewildered demons.

On the other side, Yu Zhun and his group of five, who had entered the tree, seemed to have slipped into an incredibly smooth passage. They could only watch helplessly as they continued to fall down the passage, and at the other end of the passage was a doorway.

"Shh-"

With a low hum, Yu Zhun and his group of five felt a dizzying sensation as they reappeared in a desolate and empty land. Not far from their location was a magnificent city.

This colossal city was far more magnificent than the thirty-two demonic cities they had seen on the sixth level. This single city occupied nearly half of the entire world, leaving people in awe.

“This is…” Helmod stared blankly at the colossal city, speaking uncertainly, “Could that portal just now be the portal to the ninth level of the Netherworld?”

"Have we now arrived at the ninth level of the Netherworld?"

“That’s quite possible.” Yu Zhu said casually, “No wonder we can’t see ape-like magical beasts in the third level of cognition.”

"Perhaps the third level of cognition is the limit of the eighth level."

“No.” Yu Zhun shook his head slightly, not as optimistic as his teammates. He carefully looked around, and then his gaze fell on the pillar of demonic energy at the very center of the world, which was like a pillar of heaven.

“Here, it’s still the eighth level.” As he spoke, Yu Zhun pointed to the pillar of demonic energy. “In the process of our changing perceptions, there is one thing that remains absolutely unchanged, and that is the pillar of demonic energy on the eighth level.”

"The pillar of demonic energy we see now is part of the eighth floor, not the part of the ninth floor."

"So, we did not enter the ninth floor."

"We are currently in the fourth level of cognition."

"Huh?" Lu Wen's lips twitched violently. "How many layers of cognition are there? I feel like I'm going crazy."

“It’s not that exaggerated.” Yu Zhun smiled and looked back at the Demon City not far away. “If I’m not mistaken, the fourth level of cognition is the most formal cognition, and it is also the true appearance of the eighth level.”

"Let's go, let's go and take a look at this demon city in front of us."

With that, Yu Zhun lifted his foot and walked towards the city gate.

At the city gate, a powerful demon looked at Yu Zhun and his group of four, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Five people actually came at once?"

"Looks like you guys are quite capable."

"I dare not accept such praise," Yu Zhun said calmly. "May I ask, what are the requirements for entering the ninth level of the Netherworld?"

"Oh?" A hint of amusement appeared in the demon's eyes. "Quite direct, isn't it? Inquiring about the gate before even entering the city?"

“We’re in a bit of a rush,” Yu Zhun sighed. “If nothing unexpected happens, the portal to the ninth level will definitely be inside the city.”

"Moreover, it might be in the center of the city."

"You guessed right," the powerful demon said quietly. "The portal to the ninth level is in the center of the city."

"It's also very simple to enter the portal and reach the ninth floor."

"Defeat the demon guarding the entrance."

"Thank you for informing me." Yu Zhun glanced at the other four people, nodded slightly, and then strode into the city.

Although the demon city here is magnificent, the number of demons is far less than in the demon cities we have seen before. Clearly, the threshold of the first three levels of cognition has trapped the vast majority of the strong who have entered the eighth level.

The demons who had passed by had different expressions when they saw Yu Zhun and the others, but when they saw the direction the group was heading, their eyes were filled with a hint of amusement and scrutiny.

Soon, an illusory portal appeared before their eyes.

Around the entrance stood nearly a hundred powerful demon warriors.

Each of them had reached the late stage of the fourth level of divine transformation, and was not far from the fifth level of divine transformation. The soaring demonic power surrounding them made Yu Zhun and the others' expressions become solemn at the same time.

The guy who guarded the gate before didn't say that the number of demons guarding the gate was so outrageous!
So many demons, each one stronger than them…

Even if they are highly talented, the difficulty level is still hellish, right?

The hundreds of powerful demons stationed there also sensed Yu Zhun and his group approaching. Their gazes turned towards them, and their demonic might swept over them like an invisible hand.

"If you want to enter the portal, then defeat us."

One of the powerful demons spoke in a deep voice, his eyes filled with provocation and eagerness as he looked at Yu Zhun and the others.

Yu Zhun couldn't help but ask to confirm.

"The five of us, against all of you?"

"No, that's not it." The demon who had spoken earlier looked a little strange. "The five of you, each choose an opponent."

"Whether you fight alone or in a team, it's all fine."

"Once you pass, you can enter the ninth floor."

"This is a threshold set by a big shot on the ninth floor."

"Interesting." Yu Zhun carefully examined the group before him, then suddenly spoke after a moment of contemplation, "None of you are the original self, are you?"

"Your true form is on the ninth floor?"

"If you want to pass through the portal, choose your opponent." The demon who spoke did not answer the question. "Further words are useless."

"Alright then." Yu Zhun sighed, looking at the other four. "How do we choose our opponents?"

"Is there even a question?" Lu Wen said matter-of-factly, "Of course, we'll use the strongest among them... Waaaaah..."

"Alright, just shut up." Helmod said irritably as he quickly covered Luwen's mouth.

“I’ll choose,” Yu Zhu volunteered. “I can roughly sense their strength.”

The others had no objection upon hearing this.

Soon, Yu Zhu selected five of the weaker demons from among the hundreds guarding the gate, and then said, "Let's team up for a battle." As she spoke, a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes.

The five demons she chose were not only relatively weak, but also positioned in different positions among the demons. This approach almost completely avoided directly selecting a demon combination that worked together very well.

With the combined efforts of the five of them, they easily won!
"Alright." The demon who had spoken earlier nodded indifferently. "In that case, you may make your move."

As soon as he finished speaking, the five people selected by Yu Zhu made their moves at the same time, and the moment they made their moves, the expressions of Yu Zhun and the others changed drastically.

Because the first thing these five people did was actually form a formation!

That was no ordinary battle formation. At the moment of formation, the different demonic energies of the five demons converged in a strange way, almost completely merging together, and their power increased at an extremely rapid speed.

"Stop them!"

With a low shout, Yu Zhun stomped his foot and flashed towards the demon who seemed to be the least defensive among them.

But just as his dagger was about to pierce the opponent's chest, Yu Zhun felt a blur before his eyes, and the demon in front of him had transformed into another person. The other person's raised hands turned into an incredibly hard shield, easily blocking his dagger attack.

This formation…

Yu Zhun's gaze sharpened.

As he made his move, Lu Wen and the others followed suit, but their targets changed in an instant, becoming the forces that could best counter them, thus rendering their attacks ineffective.

The feeling was as if the five demons in the formation had become one.

"How is this possible?" Yu Zhu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "I clearly chose five separate demons."

How could the teamwork these guys showed be better than the five of them who had honed their skills through countless battles?

“It’s a problem with the formation.” Yu Zhun quickly saw the clue. “This formation is very special. Even five people who have no connection can achieve perfect coordination and understanding under the influence of the formation.”

"Then let's shatter this bird formation!" Lu Wen shouted, his longsword vibrating slightly. With a sharp explosion, the sword light shot into the sky, as if to split the heavens and earth in two, and slashed fiercely towards the formation.

Faced with that astonishing slash, the five demons maintaining the formation simultaneously froze, each employing their own methods to defend against it.

"boom!"

As the dust billowed up, the once invincible sword light transformed into scattered specks of light. The five people in the formation groaned, their auras slightly weakened, but they were not injured.

Before they could even catch their breath, walls of killing intent shot into the sky, blocking the five people inside the formation from entering.

That was Yu Zhun's secret trump card, [Severing the Void].

Even with a quick reaction and immediate dodge, one of the demons still cried out in agony and died on the spot from this unexpected killing move, and the power gathered in the formation also became disordered.

There is a play!

Yu Zhun and the others' eyes lit up, and they were about to make a move without hesitation, but before they could do anything, the chaotic power stabilized again.

Only four people remained in the arena, but these four quickly formed a brand new formation!

What a flexible formation change!

Yu Zhun and the others were startled and immediately became very interested in the formation these guys were using.

If all five of them can also master…

This will definitely be of great use for navigating deeper into the game!
"Fire!" With a low shout from Helmod, a ball of golden holy fire that enveloped the surroundings appeared out of thin air above the four-person formation and fell rapidly downwards with an unstoppable force.

Udyr pursed his lips, and arrows burst forth from his hand like a rainstorm, instantly sealing off the opponent's entire space.

Under the combined attack of the two, the four demons groaned simultaneously, their auras visibly weakening.

The loss of one person will inevitably have an impact.

Yu Zhun and Lu Wen took advantage of the chaos to wipe out the opponent's forces, which then became even weaker and quickly fell into a vicious cycle.

"Pfft-"

As Yu Zhun's dagger pierced the chest of the last demon, all five demons they had chosen perished.

"Pah~pah~pah~"

The demon who had spoken earlier looked at her with a hint of admiration. "Beautiful."

"With your abilities, you are qualified to enter the portal."

As he spoke, he slightly raised his hand, and the guarding demons quickly made way for him to enter the gate.

"Before we go in, I have a question," Yu Zhun said slowly, looking at the other person. "The formation you just used..."

The other four people's eyes lit up, and they all showed expectant expressions.

Having personally sparred with that formation, they became increasingly interested in it.

If used properly, this formation might increase their strength by several times!
"Hehe, it seems you are interested in this formation." The demon who spoke chuckled, not surprised. "This formation is one of the benefits that can be obtained from the ninth level of the Netherworld."

"Once you enter, you will receive it if you are destined to."

"Okay." Yu Zhun nodded slightly and said no more.

The group quickly entered the portal, and with a flash of light, their figures completely disappeared.
-
"This time it's definitely the ninth floor."

Yu Zhu looked at the demonic energy pillar not far away, which was clearly different from before and much thicker and more majestic, and spoke up decisively.

"Yes."

Yu Zhun nodded slightly, sensing the even denser demonic energy here compared to the eighth level of the Netherworld. "We have finally entered the ninth level."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

On the eighth level of the Netherworld, they didn't experience as much as the previous levels, but the bizarre shift in their perception that they had never experienced before was truly unsettling, and even gave them a sense of mental derangement.

“From what those demons guarding the gate just now said, we can roughly deduce that there are also important figures similar to the Nine Lords on the ninth level of the Netherworld,” Yu Zhun said slowly.

“This isn’t the sixth floor, so we shouldn’t be coming into contact with guys like that for now, right?” Lu Wen couldn’t help but ask.

“Theoretically, it shouldn’t be possible,” Helmod suddenly sighed. “But now that you mention it, I’m suddenly a little unsure.”

"...Huh?" Lu Wen's expression darkened. "Are you saying I'm a jinx?"

"You know that much." Helmod nodded.

“I’m more interested in that formation than these,” Udyr suddenly said, interrupting their bickering.

"According to what that demon just said, this is one of the benefits that can be obtained from the ninth floor."

"If that's the case, I think the other demons on the ninth floor probably all have mastered similar formations."

"If we don't have a formation, we're likely to suffer a loss."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhun nodded slightly.

This is a top priority.

(End of this chapter)