Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

Luo Ye gripped the Moon Mark Spear tightly; the silver-white light at the spear tip shone like a solitary lamp on the dark purple wasteland, illuminating the small patch of ground beneath his feet.

The deeper you go into the crevice, the colder the surrounding air becomes.

The shadow element was so thick it was almost liquid; with each step, the black crystals beneath your feet would crack and shatter, like stepping on dry bones.

More and more distorted shadow crystals began to appear on the rock walls on both sides.

Some crystals take on blurry human shapes—outstretched arms, distorted faces, and postures as if trying to break free from the crystal.

They were sealed in transparent dark purple crystals, as if they had been frozen in time at the moment of their death by some force.

The air was thick with shadowy elements, so concentrated it was suffocating.

Even with the protection of the Silver Moon Heart, Luo Ye could still feel a slight stinging sensation on his skin—a sign that the power of shadow was trying to erode his body, but was being blocked by the holy power of the Silver Moon.

[System notification: Shadow element concentration in the current area is extremely high!]

[System Notification: Silvermoon Heart's protective barrier is functioning normally; current Shadow Resistance +90%]

[System Reminder: Host, the deeper you go, the denser the shadows become. Please remain vigilant and be prepared to respond to any unexpected situations.]

Luo Ye glanced indifferently at the strange humanoid crystals that were imprisoned in eternal life on the rock wall, then quickly looked away, no longer lingering to observe.

The struggles of those ancient souls were too oppressive and would only disturb his mind; he had to remain absolutely calm at this moment.

Along the way, he had noticed something.

From the moment he stepped into this desolate wasteland of abyssal rifts, all the monsters he fought, killed, and encountered were exclusively in the form of shadow wolves; there was no other type of monster to be found.

But the rift has existed for tens of thousands of years, so it's impossible that it could only have given birth to one type of monster.

So where did the other monsters go?

Either it was devoured by a more powerful being.

Either they've gone into hiding.

Either way, it all points to one thing: deep within this wasteland, there is something that terrifies them.

And he was heading in the direction of that thing.

"Since we're already here..."

Luo Ye repeated it to himself, his eyes showing no sign of retreat, only an increasingly intense and determined fighting spirit.

He stepped steadily across a deep, crisscrossing crack in the ground, and continued to move forward steadily, undeterred.

After passing through a "forest" made of shadow crystals, the view suddenly opened up before us.

Luo Ye stood at the entrance of a huge underground cave.

The cave ceiling is tens of feet high, so magnificent that it inspires awe. Countless sharp and slender shadow crystals hang down, densely packed and arranged in a staggered pattern, like the cold fangs of an ancient beast, each one flowing with a dark and deep purple light.

The rock walls surrounding the cave are covered with dense, mysterious ancient runes of varying shades.

Despite the erosion of tens of thousands of years, these patterns remain clear and intact. Under the continuous infusion of the rich shadow elements around them, they slowly shimmer with a dark light, exuding an aura of vicissitude and mystery.

In the very center of the giant cave, in mid-air, a fist-sized dark purple crystal floated silently.

It emitted a dark and profound light, and the surrounding shadow elements slowly rotated around it, forming a visible energy vortex.

With each rotation, a wisp of pure shadow essence overflows from the crystal and merges into the surrounding space.

The moment Luo Ye's gaze locked onto the crystal, the two dormant top-tier dragon powers within him suddenly stirred simultaneously.

The domineering and fierce dark golden Eternal Night Dragon Power surged wildly and leaped incessantly in his meridians, like a wanderer who had been away for a long time finally finding his homeland, so excited that he almost broke through the shackles of his physical body.

Meanwhile, the gentle and holy silver-white moonlight dragon power flowed slowly to balance and suppress the restless shadow power. The two forces, one holy and one malevolent, merged perfectly and resonated with each other.

[System Notification: Detected quest objective - Shadow Source Core Fragment (Legendary quest item)]

[Item Description: A core crystal fragment condensed from the depths of the Abyss's origin when the first Dragon King of the Eternal Night Dragon Clan made a pact with the source of the Abyss's Shadow. It is both the origin of the Eternal Night Dragon Vein and the core that sustains the entire Rift Space.]

[WARNING: Removing the fragment will trigger the Rift Collapse mechanism. The host is advised to ensure an unobstructed escape route before removing the fragment.]

[System Reminder: Take this and run! Don't hesitate. A collapsed fissure is no joke; with your small frame, you'd be better off buried in it than need a coffin.]

"Thanks for the reminder, this dungeon run deserves credit, Brother Tong."

Luo Ye took a deep breath of the cool, shadowy air, forcibly suppressing the excitement and joy surging in his heart.

This is the core item he risked his life to venture into the abyss and searched desperately for; it is the only hope to completely break the eternal night curse on Eluvia.

He gripped the Moonmark Spear tightly with both hands, the silver light at the tip of the spear steadily receding, his spiritual power gathering and ready to be unleashed, as he cautiously approached the floating crystal in the center of the cave.

Ten steps.

Five steps.

Three steps.

As they drew closer, the dark glow emanating from the fragment of the Shadow Origin Core grew increasingly intense, and a powerful aura of Shadow Origin swept over them, causing the surrounding Holy Power Barrier to tremble slightly.

Luo Ye slowly raised his right hand, a thin layer of moonlight holy power gathering at his fingertips, preparing to carefully remove this crucial source core fragment.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch the surface of the crystal—

The entire cave began to shake violently!

Deep cracks appeared in the ground, and dark purple light surged out from the cracks. The violent shadow elements instantly went berserk, turning into raging energy storms that swept wildly through the cave!

The shadowy crystals hanging from the dome broke off in pieces and crashed down, sending rubble and crystal fragments flying everywhere. The air pressure in the entire space plummeted, and a violent killing intent instantly filled every corner!

Luo Ye's heart tightened, and the Holy Dragon Wings on his back instantly spread out. He suddenly retreated into the air and landed steadily on a thick, protruding rock at the edge of the cave, looking down at the strange movements below.

The spot where he had just stood suddenly collapsed, forming a huge crater!

The next second, a giant claw formed from shadow crystals and black rock emerged from the crack.

Each knuckle of that giant claw was as thick as an adult's arm, covered with a thick, dark purple carapace, and the tips gleamed with a sinister light.

"Bang!!!"

It slammed violently onto the collapsed ground, instantly creating a giant crater several meters in diameter in the hard Shadow Crystallized Rock layer. Exploding rocks and crystal fragments, accompanied by violent Shadow energy, shot into the sky, creating an extremely terrifying spectacle.