Spellcasting Gods

Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then casually ordered, "Let's stage a drama of friendship and betrayal. Anything only becomes truly precious when there's sacrifice and sacrifice involved. Let her choose between power and her teammates, and see if she's willing to sacrifice her teammates for the Holy Sword, or the Holy Sword for her teammates. If it's the former, then I think she's qualified to become a follower of darkness, isn't she?"

"As you wish! I will make her understand what kind of resolve it takes to become a true believer in darkness."

After saying this, the ghost bowed deeply, then its entire body quickly became transparent and finally dissipated into the air.

……

Meanwhile, in the woods some distance from the entrance to the ruins, a killing spree is unfolding, with the hunter and prey switching identities.

The Skinning Monster, which had been ravaging this land for a long time, finally met its match. In less than half an hour, at least three unlucky ones fell into the trap and were beaten to death by the adventure team members who were waiting nearby with stones and blunt weapons.

Although their tough skin can help them withstand sharp swords, the violent impact of blunt weapons can directly damage their brain and internal organs.

As a result, after a few blows, even the strongest skinning monster would perish on the spot.

Thanks to the terrifying lethality of blunt weapons, the already small number of skinning monsters quickly suffered more than half casualties and fled the trap-filled forest in fear.

Without a doubt, this was the first time since their birth that they had tasted what failure was, and also the first time they realized that their ability to disguise themselves was not omnipotent.

As long as the opponent maintains their spirit and devises an effective battle plan, they can inflict extremely heavy casualties.

Watching the skinning monster reveal its true form and leap away like a monkey, the woman couldn't help but purse her lips and sneer sarcastically, "This is the terrifying monster that wiped out countless adventure teams? It seems it's nothing special! Let's go, it's time to enter the ruins and find the treasure we're truly looking forward to."

"As you wish, my lady." The archer bowed deeply, feigning an exaggerated posture.

However, it's not hard to tell from those awe-inspiring eyes that he was actually somewhat afraid of the only spellcaster and female member of the team.

Because the skinning monsters were all hidden, the team only lost one member before reaching the magnificent, but slightly dilapidated, entrance to the ruins.

Without a word, the woman at the front strode across the dimly lit steps and into the even larger underground section…

Chapter 1111 Two Teams

"This place...is truly magnificent!"

As soon as she arrived at the entrance to the massive underground ruins, the woman was immediately captivated by the enormous stone pillars covered in moss.

Although the surface of the stone pillar is covered with a large amount of green moss and mushrooms, the exquisite carvings and the energy attached to it can still be observed.

As a spellcaster, she could clearly sense that each stone pillar was connected by a peculiar magical power, forming a tight protective barrier.

It is precisely because of this that the ruins were able to maintain their original basic structure even after more than half of the stone pillars collapsed.

In contrast, the archer was more concerned about potential traps, mechanisms, and monsters in the surrounding area. He bent down to examine the footprints on the ground carefully, and finally warned in a very serious tone: "We'd better be careful! These footprints are all from the inside, but none of them are from the outside. This means that everyone who went in never left alive."

"Doesn't this just prove that the treasure that should belong to us is still safely stored inside?" The woman's eyes flashed with a chilling light.

She was so thirsty, like a spider coiled on its web, exuding the aura of a predator.

Without a doubt, this is the true face of her dark followers: a madman who would do anything for power and wealth.

"Sigh, I hope not too many people will die this time."

The archer sighed softly, glancing with pity at his new teammates who were completely unaware of their tragic future.

It's important to know that the Dark Cultists are not ordinary adventure teams, but a legendary team with an almost 100% mission completion rate. As long as they survive to the end of the mission, they will definitely receive a very generous reward.

In particular, their willingness to accept evil missions that ordinary adventurers would never dare to touch makes them, in the eyes of some scheming individuals, the perfect weapon to carry out some shady conspiracies and schemes.

This is precisely why it is not too difficult to replenish the squad no matter how many men it loses.

After all, most adventurers know that becoming a member of the Dark Cult is extremely dangerous, but it can also make a fortune.

What they didn't know was that this danger often didn't come from the outside, but from within, from the woman who never called herself the leader, yet always firmly held supreme power.

Of course, as always, his worries soon became a reality.

While crossing a bridge invisible to the naked eye, the woman, without thinking, used her two teammates as cannon fodder to scout out any traps in between.

As expected, one of the unlucky ones, just as he was about to reach the other side, suddenly lost his footing and fell into the Wanzheng Abyss, losing his life on the spot.

Instead of showing any sadness, the woman urged the rest of the group to keep going.

The deeper she went into the labyrinth, the stronger the call became, as if something was waiting for her in the deepest part of the ruins.

……

Meanwhile, another adventure team, separated by several passages, successfully passed through numerous trials and stood before a large black metal gate.

The leader was a handsome young man with short blond hair and wearing armor.

He nodded to his four wounded teammates behind him, then strode forward and placed his hand on the pull ring.

moment!

The tightly closed gate slowly opened a crack, and a phantom black shadow descended from the sky, uttering a low, hoarse voice: "Welcome, adventurers from afar. First, I congratulate you on standing out in the trial. But I must also remind you that the closer you get to the Holy Sword, the stronger your opponents and enemies will become. To commend your performance, I now give you a choice, a choice to leave unscathed with your wealth and power."

As the last word was uttered, the shadowy figure suddenly opened its arms, conjuring a large chest filled with gold, silver, jewels, and magical items out of thin air.

Pointing to the priceless items in the box, he calmly continued, "You can give up the search for the Holy Sword and choose to take everything in this box, returning safely to your own world. But if you choose to continue, then all the treasures will be forfeited. After all, this world is never perfect; to gain something, you must always pay a price. Tell me, what is your choice?"

"Is that even a question? Of course we'll choose the Holy Sword!" The young man wiped his sweat-dampened hair and grinned excitedly.

"you sure?"

"Of course! My companions and I are not doing this for money or wealth. We are doing this to become heroes of light who defeat evil and are revered by the world, just as bards sing all sorts of songs."

"Well said!"

"We must find the Holy Sword and then kill that wicked tyrant."

"For the glory of the kingdom!"

The youths' passionate spirit undoubtedly infected the entire group, so no one was tempted by the priceless treasure before them.

Compared to a divine artifact, mere gold, silver, and magical items are clearly far from sufficient.

The essence of any intelligent being is greed, an insatiable pursuit of desires.

Without this inherent quality, they would never have been able to gradually develop from primitive times and eventually enter the halls of civilization.

Even knowing that they are only one step away from the best, most people will not choose to back down. Even knowing that there is great danger ahead, they will take a step without hesitation.

Self-awareness and knowing when to retire gracefully sound easy, but very few people can actually do them.

Looking at the unwavering adventurers before him, the dark figure nodded slightly: "Alright. Since this is your choice, then come in. Remember, from now on, you will face not only monsters, mechanisms, traps, and puzzles, but also other adventurers who, like you, have entered the final part. Everyone will engage in a life-or-death struggle in a fair environment, and only the final victor will be qualified to enter the room where the Holy Sword resides."

"You mean...we have to kill each other?" The blond youth's eyes widened, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Yes! It's not just about killing each other; you'll also have to make some of the most difficult decisions of your lives. Believe me, the pain and despair are unbearable for most people..."

Chapter 1112 Trial of Strength

"Light and darkness, justice and evil—what an interesting scene. I'm increasingly looking forward to seeing what interesting things will happen when they collide."

Looking at the images transmitted back by the magic mirror, Zhang Cheng, sitting at the deepest part of the maze, couldn't help but show an expression of interest.

It goes without saying that he deliberately chose these two teams to satisfy some kind of perverse pleasure in his heart.

This time, however, darkness will triumph over light, bringing pain and despair to the entire world.

As for the created holy sword, it will also generate special attributes—either light and holy or dark and evil—the moment the user touches it.

In fact, from the beginning he didn't care whether the person who pulled out the sword was good or evil; he only cared whether the other party could perform this magnificent drama according to his requirements.

Of course, a small portion of them are games played to kill time.

For a life form with an almost endless lifespan, the greatest enemy is probably loneliness and solitude.

Since no other living being can accompany us through the long and seemingly endless journey of life, whether it be family, friends, or soulmates, they will all eventually disappear, becoming insignificant passersby in our lives.

Over time, the longer one lives, the more likely one is to become withdrawn and must do something to make oneself more cheerful.

For example, some rulers are keen to spread knowledge and help those primitive life forms that are still in a state of ignorance to move towards civilization, while others directly intervene, integrate a super civilization, and continuously launch expansion wars to realize their own deep understanding of the universe.

Zhang Cheng, on the other hand, is quite unique. He likes to delve into the dark side of human nature, wanting to see how many people can still shine with the most brilliant light of their souls in the face of extreme despair, and use tragic sacrifices to awaken their apathetic compatriots.

Even if he fails, he will still be able to witness a spectacular show.

"Master, these two teams will be meeting soon. Should I balance their numbers?" Ghost asked cautiously from a short distance behind.

Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head: "No, it's not necessary. Sometimes, luck is also a part of strength. Overly pursuing so-called balance is actually the biggest imbalance. Just do nothing and let everything flow naturally."

"Understood!" The ghost bowed deeply, then vanished without a trace.

Clearly, he has already arranged the first round of tests for the two adventurer teams.

About ten minutes later, when both teams entered a large circular arena at the same time, they couldn't help but start cursing.

"My God! What...what is that?! A dragon!"

"Oh no! Damn it! Back up! Back up now! Otherwise we'll all die!"

"Damn it! Look, there seems to be another adventurer team over there."

"What should we do? Strike first? Or try to join forces with them?"

……

Just as everyone was in a panic, the ghost reappeared out of thin air and announced in a tone devoid of any emotion: "The first test! The test of strength! Everyone who enters the Great Arena must kill the dragon within fifteen minutes, or the trial will fail and you will become the dragon's dinner."

The words had barely left his mouth!

He cast a spell on the black dragon that was lying on the ground, asleep.

next second...

"Who?! Who dares to disturb the great Arius's dream?"

The dragon, awakened from its slumber, opened its blood-red maw and roared angrily, its tail and wings flapping restlessly, kicking up a great deal of flying sand and stones.

"Damn it! The other side! I think we should join forces to deal with the current crisis first, what do you guys think?" The archer cursed under his breath and immediately called out to the blond youth standing at another entrance more than a hundred meters away.

Without even hesitating, the latter immediately replied without thinking, "No problem! You guys take care of the left side, and we'll take care of the back. Today, let's join forces and be dragon slayers."

"Happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

In just a few words, both sides had reached a verbal cooperation agreement.

As the saying goes, almost everyone is forced into their current state by life. Therefore, the greater the external pressure, the easier it is to reach a compromise internally. No matter how big the contradictions or hatred between each other, the threat posed by external contradictions must be resolved first.

Through the magic mirror, Zhang Cheng clearly saw this scene and couldn't help but smile and exclaim, "A clever move! But if they think they can easily become dragon slayers, they're sorely mistaken..."