Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 499: Super SSS-level Difficulty!
The light screen drew closer, but the three little ones felt increasingly uneasy.

Xiao Long looked around somewhat guiltily and asked quietly:

"We're all so cool and so glorious now."
"This teleportation should also include VIP treatment, right?"

Black Charcoal and Xiaotian, who had been beaming with joy and pride, suddenly froze.

Even Li Xia's expression stiffened for a moment, but the light screen in front of him was right in front of him.

With tens of thousands of apostles watching from behind, there was no time to do any mental preparation.

"Probably—"

The raised foot gently touched the light screen.

[Calculating the void coordinates of Black Descending Star]

[Black Star Descendant Basic Information Description Successfully Completed]

[Activate the ultra-long-range information slingshot, preparing to describe the acceleration of the channel field]

Advanced Void Protection is now available.

[Overwriting the executioner's personal status.]

[Ready for launch!]

A white shield that looked extremely powerful surrounded them.

Li Xia and the three little ones' expressions changed drastically.

"not good--"

An incredibly violent force surged from behind, the feeling being like being stuffed into a slingshot bullet and launched by a super-huge slingshot.

In just a moment of acceleration, the entire squad was knocked unconscious.

Exceptionally gentle.

Li Xia slowly opened his eyes. The dizziness he felt after being teleported was still throbbing in his temples, and his vision was blurred as if shrouded in a thick fog.

A strange smell permeated the air, but Li Xia, who had experienced many worlds, easily recognized it as a unique aroma that mixed the dampness of wooden barrels with the faint scent of malt liquor.

Is this a wine cellar?

The fog before his eyes slowly dissipated as his consciousness gradually cleared.

Li Xia tried to sit up by supporting herself with one hand, but her palm first touched the rough, hard bed board, and then the coarse linen sheet on top of it.

It feels slightly rough to the touch, and has a dry, hard feel, as if it's been exposed to the sun.

The grating creaking sound came from beneath him as he sat up, but it was quickly drowned out by the noise coming from downstairs.

With her vision finally clearing, Li Xia squinted slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose.

It's not a wine cellar; it looks more like a pub.

Above them were blackened oak beams, the wood grain inlaid with soot from the rough fireplace.

A metal lantern hung from the beam, its glass cover covered with a thin layer of ash, and a piece of suspiciously colored cured meat hung from the lantern's cord.

Sunlight streamed in through the diamond-shaped wooden lattice window, and dust particles swirled within the beams of light.

The presence of glass, even in ordinary residential buildings, indicates that this world is not underdeveloped.

Li Xia stood up as she pondered, the discomfort from the blanket gradually fading away.

A clearer and more complete world then emerges.

The faded red curtains hanging by the window were lifted by the draft, bringing in clearer sounds from downstairs: the clinking of wine glasses, the bartender's shouts, and the occasional clanging from the blacksmith's shop on the next street.

Previously, I was lying on a simple iron-framed bed with a tanned leather bag nailed to the headboard, inside which half a roll of coarse hemp rope was sticking out.

Huh? Where are Awoo and the others?
The room wasn't large, and after a quick glance, Li Xia didn't spot the three little ones.

"Holy crap, where am I? Why is it so dark, boss?"

Li Xia reached out and easily lifted the entire single bed, revealing Aowu, whose eyes were still darting around.

Two swaying figures rose from the coal pile beside the fireplace.

Hmm. No wonder I couldn't tell; those two dark figures disappearing into the coal pile was a perfect disguise.

But why is this fireplace made of coal?
"Fortunately, this time it's not in the wild, it doesn't seem like an undercover operation, and it's not a prison or a cemetery or any other hellish place."

The three little ones, having tidied themselves up, sat down with Li Xia at the old wooden table in the room.

As for the stained kettle on the table, no one touched it.

It's not so much that I'm afraid of getting an upset stomach, but more that I'm afraid of it being dirty.
The entire room was enveloped by a gentle power—the power of the Temple of Light.

The mission has not officially begun yet; this is a form of protection, giving the apostles time and opportunity to figure out where they are.

But Aowu had privately played with cats, dogs, and crickets; this period was used to help the apostles who had been knocked unconscious by the teleportation to regain their senses.

With such terrifying teleportation, who wouldn't get dizzy?

"It should be almost done."

Li Xia estimated the time and put down the bottled water in his hand. Sure enough, the fireplace not far away suddenly climbed up the wall under the action of a mysterious force, displaying lines of text.

[Executioner, the special Tier 3 advancement battle is about to begin!]

[This Trial World: Black Descendant Star]

World Difficulty: A—SSS+ (Extremely Difficult—Ultimate Forbidden Zone)
Global environment: 1.533 times standard gravity

Opportunity for transcendence: 0%
Introduction to the world:
As the first cluster of holy flames danced on the oak altar, a sliver of light finally tore open in the mist-shrouded earth.

Wrapped in animal skins, they emerged from the forest village, using flint to trace the runes left by their ancestors on the rock walls, packing the gifts of the forest and the revelations of the sky into rough leather scrolls.

The knight's armor reflected the faint light of morning prayers, the druid's incantation could awaken the slumbering ancient trees, the giant wolf guarded the stone gate leading to the secret realm on the snowy mountaintop, and the dwarf's forging hammer hammered the fine iron that could resist magic inside the mountain.

The blacksmith's earthenware jars were brewing magical ale to ward off the cold, the messenger ravens from the post station were carrying the lord's secret messages across the fields, and the guards on the stone watchtowers were gripping their spears tightly—behind the thorn wall, the shadow monsters of the swamp were stirring.

Leading their domesticated war deer and holding jeweled scepters, they left their footprints on the frozen ground, the wasteland, and the cliffs of the coast, until there were no blank corners left on the known map.

Finally, the priests holding ancient books and the lords wielding holy swords turned their gaze to the depths of the eternal night, to the ancient altar left behind by the creator god, a place said to have never been touched. Seventy years ago, night fell.

Main Quest: Phase One

Mission objective: Find the Burning Heart Church

Mission Rewards: None (No regular rewards for the Advancement Assessment Battle)

Mission failure penalty: Annihilation
Task period: 10 days

(This world is a special world for advancement battles, and there are no other apostles.)

The trial begins!
The power that enveloped the entire room suddenly vanished.

But the three little ones and Li Xia, who were sitting in their seats, still did not make a move.

They stared at the words on the wall, as if the content possessed a captivating power.

"SSS+?"

Aowu opened his mouth and spoke in a slightly dry voice.

"No way... this difficulty level is way beyond what's required, isn't it?"

Black Charcoal took a breath, and even its ears perked up and tilted back.

This is its usual behavior when it's nervous.

SSS+ level, this is the highest level Li Xia has ever seen.

The second is a special quest triggered during guild missions, which involves sending the Heart of Stone back to Tianzhu Mountain.

The battle against the Star God's incarnation was of SS-level difficulty.

More importantly, Li Xia didn't actually win that battle, but he didn't lose either.

If it weren't for the curse, a deadly weapon for finishing off weakened enemies, I would already be dead.

If the Star God hadn't been already severely injured and insane, he would already be dead.

Li Xia's fingers tapped quietly on the table. Since the battle with the Star God, his strength had greatly improved.

However, whether they can fight against a complete Star God incarnation, or even an SSS-level monster, remains a question.

"It's okay, the highest difficulty doesn't mean the final mission will be this difficult."

Li Xia let out a long breath, stood up, looked at the three little ones, and nodded:
"We have become stronger, even the strongest in the third tier!"

The three little ones were stunned for a moment, then smiled. That's right, they were the strongest of the third tier!
"However, these are things to consider later; the primary goal is what's in front of us."

Li Xia focused her attention on the task at hand.

"This world overview is relatively simple, or rather, it doesn't provide any useful information."

Perhaps the last point is the most useful.

The three boys focused their attention on the 'darkness descending'.

"Yes, I also think that statement contains a lot of information."

Xiao Long took out an air projection pen and started writing and drawing:

"Based on the hall's consistent style, the worlds of advancement battles all share commonalities."

This world is clearly a typical fantasy world, yet it can be used as an advancement battle, and even a special one.

They must have created something that caused the world to become like this.

Just this one sentence: "Until there are no more blank corners on the known map."

His gaze fell upon the depths of the eternal night, shrouded in mist—a place where, according to legend, lay an ancient altar left behind by the creator god, untouched ever since.

This means that the world has already reached its peak, just like the second-tier advancement battle.

They're starting to act recklessly; they might create something strange again, causing night to fall.

but----"

Aowu poked its head out the window and looked out. Warm sunlight streamed onto the street, and the pedestrians outside looked serene, making it seem like a peaceful and tranquil little town.

"Nothing seems amiss right now?"

Li Xia frowned and pondered for a while. What Aowu said actually made a lot of sense, but it was too absolute:

"Even if you touch on unknown areas, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be anything unusual. Extreme situations like the Demon Prison Star during the second-tier advancement battle are very rare."

Even when a higher-level power is attracted to most worlds, it will only gradually integrate and change the fundamental rules of the entire world.

Instead of wiping everyone out in one go.

Li Xia stood up:

"In short, intelligence is the priority, and intelligence gathering is the main focus!"
We were lucky; our accommodation was right above the tavern.

This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people and extremely lively, so it's a good opportunity to learn more.

The Burning Heart Cult sounds like a secret cult.

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.

The three little ones raised their heads with strange expressions, and the whole team seemed to have been set with a keyword trigger switch.

Good luck?

Boss, do you even believe it yourself?
Li Xia sat down again with a serious expression.

Oh no, something's definitely wrong!

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)