Slime Immortal.

Chapter 186 The Legacy of Stone and Shadow
The Stoneborn followed in Nelly's footsteps and entered the strange forest shrouded in a ghostly blue glow.

Fluorescent moss laid out a glowing carpet underfoot, while star-like quartz shimmered faintly on both sides of the road, as if guiding their way.

As the trees completely swallowed the world behind them, a profound stillness gradually descended, and even the chirping of insects and the calls of nightingales vanished, leaving only the sound of their footsteps on the moss and fallen oak leaves.

Here, rocks that are ubiquitous in Gore are covered in fluorescent moss and half-buried in the soil.

Having been silent for countless years, they should have been slowly forgotten in the long river of time, but now they seem to have been awakened, silently welcoming back the descendants of this ancient city.

If Chen Yu wasn't mistaken, the vast majority of these stones were the remains of some ancient entity.

They may have been cruelly punished by the stone giant lords in the distant past and permanently petrified here, or they may have been relentlessly hunted by gargoyle hordes and become spoils of war to display their power.

In short, they are much older than him.

Although the fluorescent forest is not usually open to these young stone children, they are not surprised by the randomly scattered boulders; in fact, they are quite used to them.

After all, in the land of Gore, the least unusual thing is all sorts of strange stones of unknown origin, each full of stories.

It would be strange if they couldn't see it.

But the further you go, the more rocks are buried in the soil. Passing through swaying fluorescent grass, you also see a huge hand bone fossil of some kind of humanoid creature by the roadside.

The knuckles protrude from the soil like a mountain ridge, resolutely reaching towards the inky velvet sky, looking from afar like a stone peak hidden in the darkness.

All the Stoneborn held their breath, silently following behind Nelly, gazing up at the sight that defied description.

At this moment, Chen Yu seemed to truly feel the glory of the ancient stone giant.

Only after the group had moved far away from the stone peak and stepped onto a forest slope covered with jagged flint and quartz fragments did Nelly, who was walking in front, casually say with her hands behind her back:
"Watch your step, our ancestors are buried here from ancient times."

Upon hearing this, Ella was so frightened that she jerked her foot up as if she had stepped on hot coals.

"You...you mean these stones are all transformed from stone spirits?!"

"They're all descendants of the Stone Clan?" Everyone was shocked.

This number is too much!
Everywhere you look, you can see stones made of various limestone, granite, and marble.

Just how many bodies, turned into stone sculptures, are buried beneath here?

"Stone descendant? Of course not."

Nelly turned around and looked at the group of frightened young people, saying, "The original Stoneborn ancestors were not troubled by petrification like we, their descendants."

"They have a more perfect bloodline; all that remains on this land are flesh and blood that have long since rotted into mud."

"Most of these stones were servants who followed the Stoneborn ancestors and fought against the stone giants. In a sense, the Stoneborn were born because of them."

"They were the ones who gave birth to the Stoneborn, who possess the blood of stone. Then, led by the first Stoneborn heroes, they launched the rebellion that overthrew the rule of the giants, causing Gor to fall completely into this place forgotten by the sun."

Nelly stopped and pondered, "Hmm... what was that old Solomon always muttering again..."

"By the way, 'This is a path of resistance paved with blood, lives, and countless stubborn stones.' I hope you little guys will not forget the glorious past of the Stone People, full of struggle and honor."

"Alright, enough chit-chat. The stone altar is just ahead, and that's where your Shadow Trial will officially begin."

As Nelly finished speaking, the group passed through the last particularly dense grove of glow-in-the-dark cedar trees, and the view before them suddenly opened up.

An ancient altar, constructed from countless rough and heavy rocks, stands quietly in the center of a forest clearing.

The altar is surrounded by twelve porphyry pillars, each carved with a different guardian beast totem.

Even stranger, the place seemed to be shrouded in some kind of dense shadow, making the shadows of the boulders around the altar look extremely unnatural.

They are sharply defined and clearly outlined, slowly writhing like living beings, like giant beasts slumbering in the shadows, completely sheltering the entire altar in darkness.

Shadow creatures.

This was the first thought that flashed through Chen Yu's mind.

He had seen descriptions of shadow creatures in ancient texts written by the Stone Descendants.

Most of these shadow creatures that roam the Underdark can be traced back to the more mysterious and darker Shadow Mountains.

Except for a few with high intelligence, most people are not very bright and always mutter strange ramblings, like a chaotic and illogical dream stripped from human sleep.

Its shape resembles a dense shadow, but its appearance is rather sloppy and casual.

Some may have several arms, and they may be asymmetrical; some may have exaggerated fangs that dangle to the ground; and some may have fragmented forms that are difficult to describe.

It can be described as spiritual pollution.

After all, the environment in the Shadow Mountains is even darker and more chaotic than the Underdark. Since they can't usually see each other's appearance, these creatures have started to let themselves go and grow however they want.

But these monsters, which look terrifying and ferocious, are actually mostly quite gentle, and some are even timid.

It might even run away in fear at the sight of a slime, and it is basically not aggressive.

Moreover, with the exception of a few special individuals, they are generally even afraid of sustained flames and intense magical light, and therefore prefer to hide in deep, quiet corners.

But it is precisely this seemingly harmless creature that, once it makes a pact with the Stoneborn, is willing to bestow its unique shadow power upon its trusted Stoneborn companion.

This power can fundamentally transform assassin-type professions, granting assassins the powerful ability to stealthily move in the shadows and strike with deadly precision.

Having dealt with shadow creatures for so long, it's not surprising that there are shadow creatures guarding this place.

Arno followed the other young people of the Stone Clan and entered the stone altar with awe.

He looked up at the towering diabase pillars all around him, and the shadows that seemed to have a life of their own, and suddenly felt a strange throbbing in his blood.

Other young people of the Stone race clearly felt this strange resonance as well, their faces showing expressions of surprise, fascination, or solemnity.

It was as if they were born to be here, with an inseparable connection to this land, these boulders, and these shadows.

“Boss, this place… feels strange.” Arno frowned slightly, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was strange about it.

It felt like coming home.

As the Stoneborn were still whispering among themselves, the shadows that had been slowly writhing around them seemed to be collectively infused with life and came to life.

They rose rapidly like boiling ink, eventually coalescing into three gigantic human figures exuding an aura of majesty above the stone altar.

Their silhouettes resembled those of the three Stone Ancestors Chen Yu had previously encountered—Solomon, Lancelot, and Cameron.

Behind them, around the stone altar, stood even smaller figures, silently floating in the sky, their faceless faces looking down like the strictest examiners, silently scrutinizing the young stone descendants who were about to undergo trials.

Nelly, hands on her hips, called out to the somewhat dazed young people, "What are you all standing there for? The ancestors are watching from above! Hurry up and greet them!" The young people snapped out of their daze and respectfully bowed and greeted them.

Good day, ancestors.

Arno quickly followed suit, bowing his head in respect, his heart filled with awe.

Chen Yu leaned on Arno's shoulder, looking up at the shadows, and said in surprise, "Arno, you have so many ancestors."

He roughly counted them and found that there were over a hundred shadows alone, while there were only a few dozen young people participating in the trial.

It seems that the elderly love to watch exciting events; this is inevitable in any world.

However, being watched by so many old guys at the same time, not to mention these young stone descendants, even he felt a bit of pressure.

No wonder the vampires couldn't do anything to the Stoneborn; every Stoneborn ancestor here had passed the Shadow Trial and was at least a formal professional.

If one day he has a moment of despair and decides to fight the vampires, wouldn't that scare them so much that they'd have to move out of the Dark Land overnight?

After all the young people had bowed, the figures in the sky nodded slightly. Although no expression could be seen, they seemed to be quite satisfied with these young people.

Solomon, who was at the head of the group and facing the crowd, moved slightly, as if silently reciting some ancient precept or blessing.

The young people of the Stone Clan below tried to listen, but all they heard were meaningless babbling. Their faces were filled with confusion as they looked at each other, their eyes asking, "Did you understand?"

Nelly crossed her arms and translated, "No need to guess, he means you guys are great, energetic, and the future of the Stoneborn."

"Furthermore, the trial officially began the moment you stepped onto this stone altar."

"The rules are simple: within three days, you must use your own abilities to find a shadow creature in the fluorescent forest that is willing to form a contract with you, and that will be considered passing the trial."

Her gaze swept over everyone, her hands behind her head. "Remember, our shadows are everywhere in the forest, watching your every move."

"The Trials allow and encourage fair duels for the recognition of the Shadow Creatures, but strictly prohibit any form of malicious private fighting, backstabbing, or other despicable acts."

"If your aunt catches you, I'll immediately pull down your pants and spank your bottom until it's bruised and battered, understand?"

"Understood!" The young stone descendants were startled and responded in unison.

"Alright, you are now free to move around and head deeper into the forest."

Upon hearing this, the young people of the Stone Clan bowed once more to the shadows in the air, and then, with nervous anticipation, gradually dispersed, heading towards the deeper, more secluded areas of the fluorescent forest.

Arno was about to follow the crowd inside when Nellie reached out her arm and stopped him.

"Wait a minute."

Arno stopped and looked at Nelly with some confusion.

Nelly pointed to Chen Yu on his shoulder and crossed her arms: "Add a rule: no slime helpers may be brought into the trial area. This is fair to everyone."

"Oh, okay, I understand." Arno nodded quickly and looked at Chen Yu on his shoulder.

Seeing him shake the gel up and down to indicate his agreement, Arno quickly squatted down.

Chen Yu reminded him, "Remember to come out early. The blueberry cake at that shop this morning was pretty good. Remember to bring me another slice when you go back. I haven't had enough yet."

After saying that, he lightly jumped and landed in Nellie's palm, which she then casually placed on her shoulder.

"Alright, that's fair now."

Nelly clapped her hands and waved to Arno, "Go on, kid, good luck."

"Boss, Auntie, I'm going in now. Wait for my good news."

Arno solemnly bid farewell to the two, then took a deep breath, turned around, and with firm steps, stepped alone into the depths of the forest. The phosphorescent moss under his feet rippled with light as he walked away.

As Nelly watched Arno's figure disappear, she couldn't help but reach out and poke the slime on her shoulder.

“Hey, little one, this guy seems really confident. Tell me honestly, did you secretly slip him some weird and wonderful stuff again?”

"No," Chen Yu denied immediately.

They only equipped Arno with a tiny bit of skill.

It must have been hard work to consume so many talent orbs, but of course, it's not considered cheating.

"Have you investigated that strange shadowy creature thoroughly?"

Nelly shrugged. "Sorry, kids, your intelligence gathering seems a bit lacking. There's nothing strange here at all."

"However, just in case, I've already sent people to guard the perimeter, to ensure that not even a fly can get in," she said smugly.

"If it's nothing, then forget it."

He looked up again and suddenly realized that the shadows floating in mid-air were all staring at him.

Nelly pointed to the shadow in the air, "Everyone is saying hello to you. They've never seen a talking slime before, isn't that amazing?"

"Solomon is asking you, do you think Arno can find the shadow creatures?"

Chen Yu thought about it. Although he felt that it was no surprise that Arno passed the trial, he was, after all, representing the image of the entire Slime Kingdom when he went out, so it was better to be humble.

"Not bad, he can take on three by himself."

"Hey, does a slime like to talk big too?" Nelly clearly didn't believe him and poked him again, her hand itching to do so.

The surrounding shadows also emitted laughter that sounded like murmurs. They whispered, their voices muffled and indistinct, as if separated by a veil of water.

Nelly shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. This kid is a knight, and in our land, assassins reign supreme."

Chen Yu jumped up and down, "Who told you he was just a knight?"

"Ok?"

Nelly was clearly interested in what he was saying.

"Let's go over and have a look."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure seemed to fall into a dark abyss, disappearing from the spot along with Chen Yu.

After an unknown amount of time, when Chen Yu came to his senses, Nellie was already sitting on a glowing tree, watching with great interest Arno as he moved deeper into the valley below.

(End of this chapter)