Chapter 159: The Great Cataclysm (Part Two)

There were eight of them in total.

To Qin Fei and Xie Nainai, a single shadow monster was not particularly formidable in combat.

However, they simply possessed the advantage of sheer numbers.

More importantly, as the protagonists and darlings of this world, the Pigmen lacked any concept of a Sanity meter.

Not only were the Pigmen unable to see shadow creatures, but they were also immune to their attacks.

As for that foolish bird tagging along beside Qin Fei, while it might be able to perceive shadow entities, the creature was likely nothing more than a weakling with a combat power of five.

In other words, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai were forced to face the assault of at least four shadow monsters simultaneously.

Having been summoned by the Ancient Herald, these shadow creatures immediately charged toward Qin Fei and Xie Nainai.

The moment they lunged forward, the bodies of Qin Fei and Xie Nainai instantly grew hazy.

The two of them had activated their shadow forms.

Leveraging the shadow form, Qin Fei quickly drifted out of the encirclement of these shadow creatures and resumed his human shape.

Simultaneously, four tentacles sprouted from Qin Fei's chest and back, each gripping a different weapon.

Empowered by these tentacles, Qin Fei counterattacked against the shadow monsters.

Meanwhile, Xie Nainai remained on the sidelines, continuously launching ranged attacks with crossbow bolts and a freezing staff.

Before long, under the joint onslaught of Qin Fei and Xie Nainai, these shadow creatures were beaten until they dissipated into the air.

Yet the Ancient Herald floating in mid-air maintained a mere spectator's attitude throughout the entire encounter.

It showed not the slightest intention of stepping in to help as its shadow minions perished.

Once Qin Fei had completely cleared out the shadow creatures, the Ancient Herald in the sky slowly descended to the ground.

Upon landing, its body began to writhe rapidly, melting into the earth like a pool of liquid.

Qin Fei stared at the surrounding ground with absolute vigilance.

Had this thing burrowed underground...?

A few seconds later, multiple dark shadows burst forth from the earth.

These dark shadows were not shadow creatures; rather, they resembled shockwave-like attacks, vast in number and wide in coverage.

Struck by these sudden dark shadows, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai were forcefully hurled several meters away.

A look of sheer terror washed over Qin Fei's face.

It was not because he was shocked by the impact of these dark shadows—in truth, they had dealt him almost negligible physical damage.

What horrified Qin Fei was that these dark shadows seemed to possess some sort of sealing property... After being struck, his body had actually lost all sensation!

This state was identical to the condition Qin Fei had suffered when he was bitten by a shadow monster previously.

Despair consumed Qin Fei's heart.

With his entire body paralyzed across multiple areas, he was now left with only his right arm barely capable of a few feeble movements.

Not only that, but the sealing effect of those dark shadows was utterly tyrannical.

Qin Fei could no longer even use his shadow form skill.

Not just Qin Fei; Xie Nainai, not far away, had likewise been tethered in place after being hit by that barrage of dark shadow shockwaves.

Yet Qin Fei reacted swiftly.

Realizing he was unable to move, he quickly retrieved the teleportation staff from his backpack and aimed the purple gem at its tip toward the Ancient Herald in the sky...

A flash of purple light swept past.

Instantly, countless purple runes materialized around the Ancient Herald, enclosing it completely.

These were the visual effects generated when the teleportation staff was utilized.

Did it work?

Qin Fei stared at the Ancient Herald in the sky, remaining silent...

The entire body of the Ancient Herald, surrounded by those runes, began to distort.

Several dark shadows emerged from within the Ancient Herald's body, and within mere seconds, they had entirely devoured the purple runes coating its surface.

The teleportation staff had failed to produce any effect on it whatsoever!

A trace of disappointment welled up in Qin Fei's heart.

He had already imagined the Ancient Herald's strength to be immense.

Yet he never expected this creature to be powerful to such a degree!

A single dark shadow shockwave had immobilized both him and Xie Nainai, and even the teleportation staff had proven ineffective against it.

Faced with such a desperate scene, Qin Fei had no choice but to swivel the end of the teleportation staff, embedded with the purple gem, toward himself...

Qin Fei intended to abandon his teammate and escape alone.

To him, this was already the optimal choice available at the moment.

After all, one had to survive to retain everything; only by staying alive could the mission be completed.

Choosing to die alongside one's teammates in a situation like this could only be described as a completely brain-dead action.

The moment Qin Fei activated the teleportation staff, a flash of purple light erupted.

Immediately, countless purple runes similarly appeared around him.

Simultaneously, however, the dark shadows clinging to Qin Fei's body abruptly began to writhe rapidly, gradually attaching themselves to the runes surrounding him.

Seconds later, these dark shadows had completely swallowed up the purple runes encircling Qin Fei.

Such a countermeasure even existed?

Qin Fei was dumbfounded.

Now, even his final life-saving resort was gone...

On the other hand, having subdued Qin Fei and Xie Nainai, the Ancient Herald on the ground was in no particular rush to end their lives.

The Ancient Herald's body, composed of dark shadows, began to writhe rapidly on the spot.

Moments later, the Ancient Herald successfully transformed into the appearance of Queen Mafalafa.

Witnessing this, a look of realization dawned in Qin Fei's eyes.

It seemed his prior conjecture had been correct.

That Queen Mafalafa in the Pigman royal palace had indeed been disguised by the Ancient Herald all along.

Transforming into Queen Mafalafa, the Ancient Herald gripped a longsword and marched toward the location of Caesar the Pig.

It directly ignored Qin Fei and Xie Nainai lying to the side.

This left Qin Fei somewhat perplexed.

Why would the Ancient Herald target Caesar the Pig as its primary kill objective? Clearly, he and Xie Nainai possessed higher combat power...

By all logic, it should have chosen to eliminate the strongest individuals first, yet this entity had prioritized slaying Caesar the Pig.

If the Ancient Herald was not devoid of intelligence, then only one reason could compel it to act this way.

That was the fact that this Ancient Herald feared the existence of Caesar the Pig!

It was wary of Caesar the Pig!

That being the case, the prophecy on the mural was true... At this thought, hope rekindled in Qin Fei's heart.

Perhaps Caesar the Pig could genuinely turn the tables and slay the Ancient Herald!

He stared unblinkingly at Queen Mafalafa, yearning for a miracle to occur.

Facing the sword-wielding Pigman Queen, terror surfaced in the eyes of Caesar the Pig.

Yet the Pigmen had always valued loyalty above all else.

Considering that both Qin Fei and Xie Nainai had lost their combat capabilities at this juncture, Caesar the Pig hoisted the imperial scepter in his hand and swung it toward the Pigman Queen.

Yet this fellow's martial prowess seemed somewhat lacking.

Caesar the Pig's attack was easily evaded by his opponent.

Simultaneously, Queen Mafalafa raised the longsword in her grip...

*Splat!*

A flash of sword light swept across.

Caesar the Pig was decapitated by the Pigman Queen in a single strike, his severed pig head sending blood spurting several meters high from his neck.

A moment later, that pig head plummeted from the air and struck the ground.

Caesar the Pig's eyes remained wide open, filled with everlasting resentment in death!