Chapter 554 - Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Temporary Task

Chapter 554: Chapter 554: Temporary Task

Watching Qi Yun now enveloped by a mass of black fog, Song Jian couldn’t help but take two steps back;

This energy was all too familiar to him, as it was the Force of Death, a power only found in Netherworld Hell;

“How could this be…” Song Jian’s eyebrows furrowed as his eyes suddenly locked onto the cracked Shadow Crystal in the center.

At this moment, tendrils of black mist were surging out of the crack in the Shadow Crystal, as if the fissure connected to another dimension, reminding Song Jian of the Space Rift connecting the Abyss.

“Could it be that the crack in the middle of this Shadow Crystal is not a break but rather a Space Rift connected to Netherworld Hell?” Song Jian had a look of astonishment on his face.

At this point, Qi Yun felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, with his body no longer under his control, defenses wide open, allowing the Force of Death to surge into his body;

A tremendous amount of Death Force caused changes in Qi Yun’s body. Originally injected with the Perfect Gene Potion, Qi Yun had eliminated the defects in his genes, and his entire body was always kept at its peak, being the perfect man in the eyes of the world.

However, to avoid attracting attention, Qi Yun had been using illusionary techniques to disguise his body. He never expected there would come a day when his body would become withered like this.

But now, Qi Yun no longer resembled his former self, with his flesh and blood constantly being eroded by the Force of Death, muscles withering, skin losing moisture and luster, appearing to have aged by more than a decade. Even his once-black hair gradually turned pale and fell out in large amounts;

The Shadow Energy within Qi Yun, sensing the invasion of foreign energy, instinctively began to resist. As the Shadow Energy and the Death Energy clashed and eroded each other, using Qi Yun’s body as a battlefield, Qi Yun felt as if every part of his body was being torn apart. Blood seeped from his pores, and soon, he was completely drenched in blood;

The oozing blood quickly dried up, leaving Qi Yun’s withered skin tightly clinging to his skeleton, looking like a zombie from a video game.

“Save, save me!” Qi Yun pleaded with a desperate look on his face, using his eyes to signal Song Jian to destroy the only Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array.

“Are you issuing a task to me?” A smile emerged on Song Jian’s face. By now, Qi Yun’s level had been raised to 30, and the aura emanating from his body was much more formidable than that of ordinary Level 30 monsters, second only to Level 30 Elite Level Bosses with Tier 1 combat power.

Song Jian’s strength could initially completely overwhelm Qi Yun, but now, Qi Yun possessed the power to fight against Song Jian;

The Death Force eroding Qi Yun was not a bad thing for Song Jian. This excess energy would not increase Qi Yun’s strength but would weaken him, and could even possibly kill Qi Yun;

However, if Qi Yun were to die at this point, it would not align with Song Jian’s interests, as killing Qi Yun without going through Song Jian’s hands would not yield any loot.

Looking at Qi Yun in the Magic Array’s light barrier with a pained and distorted expression, Song Jian’s face remained calm.

“What, what do you want?” Qi Yun’s face was now riddled with fine wounds, looking like many small mouths had opened up.

“I’ve recently developed an interest in Magic Rune Arrays and want to learn more about them,” Song Jian laughed, pointing at the Magic Array beneath Qi Yun.

“As long as, as long as you break that crystal and save, save me, I, I’ll fulfill your request!” Qi Yun struggled to say.

System: Shadow Priest Qi Yun has issued a temporary task to you, Rescue; Task content: Destroy the Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array and free him; Task target: Destroy the Shadow Crystal in the Magic Array, Quantity: 0/1; Task reward: “Magic Rune Array Analysis”; Task failure penalty: None; Task time: 3 minutes;

Song Jian was taken aback. Qi Yun actually had the authority to issue tasks to players through the game system!

Before, when Qi Yun gave Song Jian a task, he had to summon the Spirit of Public Notary to sign a task contract under its power of contract;

Such contracts, witnessed by the Spirit of Public Notary, had loopholes that could be exploited and were far from being as secure as issuing tasks to players through the game system.

“It seems that Qi Yun’s strength has indeed increased a lot, otherwise he wouldn’t have been granted such privileges.” Song Jian thought inwardly, raising his evaluation and vigilance of Qi Yun in his mind;

“Task accepted!”

A three-minute countdown suddenly appeared in Song Jian’s eyes;

“The time limit for the task is three minutes, which should be his limit,” Song Jian looked at the three-minute countdown with a smile on his face;

“Fast, break the crystal quickly…” The aura of Death Force surrounding Qi Yun intensified.

“Wait a little longer…” Song Jian whispered softly as he slowly approached the Shadow Crystal;

Three minutes, two minutes, one minute, forty seconds, ……

Standing in front of the Shadow Crystal, Song Jian carefully observed it with a faint smile on his lips. The more Death Force that invaded, the harder it would be for Qi Yun to expel it afterward, and the more severely his strength would be suppressed. For Song Jian, this was more than ideal, as Qi Yun’s current strength was making him feel somewhat wary;

“Hurry… destroy…”

At this point, Qi Yun’s Shadow Energy had been completely suppressed by the Force of Death, and his body had begun to transform into a being of death;

Qi Yun was filled with terror. If he were a professional who controlled the Force of Death, then this moment would have been the most exciting time for him. But as a Shadow Priest, once completely invaded by the Force of Death, he would become a mindless undead creature;

Thirty seconds, twenty seconds, ten seconds, ……

Qi Yun’s consciousness was already blurring, as the Death Force began to erode every cell in his body. Song Jian glanced at him and swung his sword at the Shadow Crystal;

Golden Sword Qi burst forth, and with a clear shattering sound, the Shadow Crystal cracked like glass, its translucent fragments scattering in all directions;

The Death Force polluting Qi Yun gradually dissipated, allowing the Shadow Energy within his body to slowly recover.

Looking like a corpse, Qi Yun suddenly moved a finger, his emaciated body violently trembling as he let out “hehe” gasps of breath;

By the time Qi Yun regained consciousness, he found that Song Jian was standing in front of him with a sword in hand.

“The task has been completed. Can you give me the task rewards now?” Song Jian said with a smile, extending his hand towards Qi Yun.

…