TTGOL CH87

Jin Cheng wandered the bottom of the cliff with the rat, McKeown, all night long. He practically circled the entire Royal Court but didn’t find any path leading up.

He had tried, but this chasm couldn’t be exited from above. No matter what items he used, the moment he neared the cliff’s edge, the items would naturally break down, as if an invisible force was sealing the place.

If there was no way up, there had to be a path below; otherwise, the bottom of the cliff wouldn’t be this clean. Jin Cheng had walked a full lap and hadn’t seen a single skeleton.

The Elven Royal Court had existed for so long. Even if they had never dumped a corpse down here, it was impossible that not even a single bird had ever died and fallen in—unless someone had cleaned it all up.

He asked McKeown, but McKeown only knew how to “squeak, squeak, squeak.”

It wasn’t until dawn approached that McKeown suddenly grew frantic. The rat frantically waved its front paws, mimicking a flying motion, and blocked Jin Cheng’s path to stop him from moving forward.

“Are you saying we need to fly out?” Their communication was so terrible it made Jin Cheng miss Tang Cuo even more. He even felt the urge to compose a poem to express his longing.

Just as McKeown finally managed to make his meaning clear through frantic gestures, the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, slightly dispelling the thick fog.

Jin Cheng looked up and saw that where the fog had cleared, a massive bird’s nest hung precariously on the high cliff wall. A behemoth with dark gold feathers was fast asleep inside. Its head was buried beneath its wings, hidden from sight, but a long tail draped over the edge, easily two or three meters long.

“Squeak!” With a quick scramble, McKeown lifted the hem of Jin Cheng’s pant leg and dove inside, clutching his head and shivering. The poor little guy had probably already witnessed the beast’s ferocity over the past few days.

Jin Cheng, however, stroked his chin, deep in thought.

With a nest that big, maybe there were eggs inside—good for breakfast, or for hatching a pet. Western Fantasy stories always had tropes like this, and as a male protagonist, his life would be incomplete without a flashy mount.

Rustle.

The creature seemed to sense something and ruffled its wings in its sleep. This tiny movement alone whipped up a powerful gust of wind in the surrounding area.

McKeown trembled even harder, wishing he could cram his entire rat body further up the pant leg.

In the next moment, the massive avian beast slowly raised its head, revealing an eagle-like beak and beautiful golden pupils. Its sharp gaze swept downward, brimming with peerless arrogance and cold indifference.

Locking eyes with it, Jin Cheng couldn’t help but let out a whistle.

Unsurprisingly, this action enraged the beast. It let out a long screech to the heavens and spread its massive wings, the resulting gale ruffling Jin Cheng’s hair even from a distance.

Without hesitation, Jin Cheng grabbed McKeown, shoved him into his pocket, and vaulted up the cliff face with a few quick leaps. While maneuvering mid-air, he drew his mechanical bow and fired an arrow. But the arrow wasn’t aimed at the beast; instead, it struck the cliff wall dead-on, providing Jin Cheng with a new foothold.

Amidst the howling wind, Jin Cheng landed on the arrow shaft like a great roc folding its wings. He crouched there effortlessly, a smile on his lips, but his eyes were ice-cold, his powerful fighting intent completely undisguised.

Raising a hand, he pulled another arrow from the void. Jin Cheng’s eyes locked onto the opponent circling mid-air, as if he had transformed into a creature of the same kind.

The aerial battle thus commenced.

With its body fully extended, the avian beast looked very much like a griffin. It had the body and claws of a lion, and the beak and wings of an eagle. Jin Cheng didn’t know where it ranked in the food chain of the Xixilite Continent, but he figured it was probably near the top.

He just didn’t know if it was considered a neighbor to the elves, or a pet.

A sharp shriek interrupted Jin Cheng’s thoughts. The griffin dive-bombed toward him. Jin Cheng immediately hooked one leg around the arrow shaft and leaned backward, dodging the sharp talons. Simultaneously, he rapidly fired an arrow, maintaining his awkward posture to aim at the griffin’s softer underbelly.

But the griffin was ultimately a behemoth—fierce and swift. Combined with the strong gale whipped up by its wings, the arrow veered slightly off course and struck diagonally into the cliff face.

In their first clash, the closest distance between man and beast was barely two or three meters. The griffin’s massive body nearly blocked out all the light above Jin Cheng’s head. The aura of danger enveloped him, tense and thrilling.

Ten minutes later, Jin Cheng’s arrows dotted the cliff face. At first glance, they seemed chaotic, but they were actually arranged in a well-spaced pattern. They weren’t too close to each other, but there was guaranteed to be a foothold within a hundred meters.

Jin Cheng moved across this artificial ladder of arrows as if walking on flat ground. The two-to-three-hundred-meter width of the chasm posed almost no obstacle to him.

Boom—! A massive shockwave blasted against the cliff. Jin Cheng dodged in time, using the powerful aftershock to launch himself high into the air, drawing his bow while suspended mid-air.

Whoosh!

The metal arrow tore through the sky, suddenly splitting into three as it neared the enemy. The griffin roared in anger, its massive wings swatting away two of the arrows, but the third ultimately pierced its front limb.

By this time, Jin Cheng executed a beautiful backflip, landing firmly on the opposite cliff face. Spinning around, he fired another clean, decisive splitting arrow.

No, it was a rapid-fire barrage!

One splitting arrow divided into three. Fired in rapid succession, Jin Cheng single-handedly created the spectacle of “ten thousand arrows raining down” with just one bow.

The griffin simply couldn’t dodge that many arrows. Its eyes turned blood-red, completely enraged. Both gale-force winds and piercing shrieks were unleashed simultaneously. The terrifying sonic waves shattered the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff and the protruding stones on the cliff face all at once.

In an instant, crushed stone filled the air, and dust billowed wildly.

In the nick of time, Jin Cheng’s index finger rapidly swept across the bowstring. The string sliced his fingertip, and a metallic twang saturated with killing intent rang out. As if taking physical form, it swept all the crushed stone and dust back where it came from.

Bam! Already peppered with arrows, the griffin was caught off guard and slammed heavily into the cliff face, creating a massive crater. A sickening crack echoed—it was unclear which bone had broken.

However, Jin Cheng’s neck was also grazed by a stray stone that slipped past his defense. Blood trailed down the wound, reaching all the way to his collarbone. He didn’t have time to wipe it off because the griffin had already charged back.

The impact just now had caused it some damage, but it didn’t affect its mobility in the slightest. In fact, it was moving even faster; the rushing wind could be felt from over fifty meters away.

Under such a ferocious and savage fighting style, no matter how fast Jin Cheng reacted, he couldn’t completely avoid getting hit.

Thud!

A split second before landing, he forcefully adjusted his posture, bending his knees to absorb some of the impact. He quickly dismantled his mechanical bow, plunging it into the ground, but he still skidded for over ten meters before coming to a halt.

It was evident how immense the griffin’s strength was. If he had actually been caught by those sharp talons, he would have been torn to shreds.

Jin Cheng caught his breath. Sweat stung as it rolled into his wound. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, shook his arm, and smiled again.

This big bird really hits hard. Exhilarating.

But it was about time to end this.

The griffin dive-bombed again, its bloodstained claws glinting sharply in the sunlight. Jin Cheng pulled off an extreme dodge, kicked off a nearby jagged rock, and returned to the cliff face.

He moved incredibly fast. Taking advantage of the fact that the griffin couldn’t brake in time due to its massive momentum, he put a large distance between them with a few leaps. The griffin roared furiously and gave chase. Jin Cheng ran close to the cliff wall, and the beast, completely disregarding the hard rocks scraping its wings, chased closely behind him, nearly clawing Jin Cheng’s back on several occasions.

Crushed stones showered down. Jin Cheng glanced back, suddenly stomped hard on the cliff face, executed a high backward flip, and plummeted toward the griffin’s back.

The griffin hurriedly gained altitude, chasing Jin Cheng upward, but it wasn’t as agile as him. As it shot upward, Jin Cheng had already grabbed its feathers, hanging onto its back with one hand.

Enraged beyond measure, the griffin flapped its wings violently, shook its body, and constantly changed direction, hoping to throw Jin Cheng off. Seeing that it couldn’t shake him, it simply rammed its back toward the cliff wall.

Jin Cheng raised an eyebrow. With a flash of light, a dagger appeared in his empty hand, and he plunged it ruthlessly into the griffin’s back.

Roar—! The griffin roared in pain, its wings momentarily retracting. But its momentum toward the cliff wall couldn’t be stopped. Not having time to pull the dagger out, Jin Cheng immediately let go, tumbling and falling toward the ground.

The impact was agonizing. Jin Cheng’s HP dropped straight below 20%, and several new wounds appeared on his body.

The griffin fared even worse.

After slamming into the cliff wall, it plummeted to the ground, the impact sending crushed stones flying. It roared in agony, desperately trying to stand back up, but as soon as its front limbs straightened, it swayed and collapsed again.

This wasn’t because its injuries were truly that severe, but because of poison.

Jin Cheng was not a knight-errant. A knight-errant wouldn’t use poison, but he would. Combat was a struggle for survival. He wouldn’t use poisoned arrows when fighting other players, but things were completely different inside an instance.

It was just that the griffin’s body was too massive. It took a while for the poisoned arrows to take effect, and the results were somewhat underwhelming.

Downing a potion, Jin Cheng observed quietly for a moment. Confirming the griffin was no longer capable of launching an attack, he shifted his gaze to the distant bird’s nest.

When it came to stealing bird eggs, Jin Cheng was a professional.

Meanwhile, at the Secret Lake.

Several human adventurers insisted on leaving; even Dorn couldn’t stop them. The team thus split. The seven adventurers divided into two factions: one group of five chose to leave, while the other, led by Dorn, chose to stay. The Ivy Alliance members also chose to stay. The dwarf was still asleep, but the two Druids decided to leave with the departing adventurers.

“Druids are a race close to nature. Our combat power isn’t high, so it’s better if we leave early to report the situation.”

Tang Cuo offered no comment.

The people from the Little Windmill Harbour frowned slightly but said nothing.

Only ten people remained by the lake.

Everyone dispersed to investigate. Tang Cuo, however, squatted beside the dwarf Hamur, staring at him deep in thought. Kelt asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Tang Cuo: “I’m thinking about how to wake him up.”

Kelt: “Why do you absolutely need to wake him up? Is he that important?”

Tang Cuo didn’t answer. He untied the remaining wine flask from Hamur’s waist and tried to wake him using the scent of wine, but failed. He then made a small cut on Hamur’s arm, trying to wake him with pain, but failed again.

Finally, he shifted his gaze back to the Black Iron Furnace and the Alchemical Colossus. These two items were said to be two of the great artifacts of the dwarven race.

Tang Cuo strolled over to the lakeshore. Given the previous death, everyone was currently keeping a safe distance from the shore. The only one standing that close was Tang Cuo.

Cradling his elbow, he thought for a few seconds before rummaging through his equipment inventory. In this instance, to maintain his character setting, many items from beyond this era couldn’t be used. Of the remaining items—the Nightingale, the Ivy Badge, the Sword of Judgment, etc.—he wanted to find a long-range weapon.

None of them seemed quite suitable.

The Nightingale’s engraved skill, Moonlight Tide, might be useful, but Tang Cuo wanted to save it as a trump card.

Tang Cuo settled for the next best thing and used the Waterball Spell. Soon, a small waterball flew rapidly toward the Black Iron Furnace. It struck the furnace, sizzling and evaporating into white smoke upon impact.

One small waterball was useless. Tang Cuo unleashed twenty or thirty in quick succession, hurling them as fast as he could. The continuous sizzling sound drew everyone’s attention.

“Has his brain been invaded by slimes?” Hawke looked utterly bewildered.

“Ignore him. What could a country bumpkin from the Principality of Falan possibly discover?” his companion said, continuing to walk along the lakeshore with an air of indifference.

“Can we really find it? Is it a person or an object?”

“Not sure, but we’ll find it eventually.”

Meanwhile, Tang Cuo threw over a hundred waterballs, but the Black Iron Furnace remained completely unscathed. He then turned and asked Kelt, “From this distance, can you destroy it?”

Kelt shook his head. “No.”

At this moment, Hei brothers walked over. Hearing Tang Cuo’s words, they asked in confusion, “Why do you want to destroy it? The Black Iron Furnace is a divine artifact. Even the dwarven race might not have a second one.”

Tang Cuo’s expression was cold. “Combating counterfeits.”

Hei Meng and Hei Si couldn’t understand his modern humor, but they could guess something from those two words. Hei Meng frowned. “Are you saying this is fake?”

Hei Si: “Are you sure?”

Tang Cuo: “I think everything we’re seeing is fake.”

Kelt looked slightly surprised.

Tang Cuo looked at him and asked, “Don’t you find it strange? We clearly couldn’t find the Secret Lake earlier, so we lit a campfire to rest. But after the dwarf fell asleep, the Secret Lake suddenly appeared, and the lake is full of dwarven artifacts.”

Hei Meng’s eyes lit up slightly. “Your Excellency means—an illusion? We are currently all inside an illusion created by Hamur?”

Hei Si immediately added, “And destroying the Black Iron Furnace will break the illusion?”

“Perhaps you could also try killing Hamur,” Tang Cuo suggested sincerely. He felt that method might be the fastest.

As his words fell, all three of them widened their eyes and stared at Tang Cuo in disbelief. Tang Cuo shrugged. He had said as much, yet the system hadn’t given him a warning. Did it go on strike?

“Ahem,” Hei Meng broke the silence. “Let’s try destroying the furnace first.”

Hei brothers were a swordsman and a mage, both highly skilled. The mage had the most long-range attack methods. After a few highly destructive spells bombarded it, a crack finally appeared on the Black Iron Furnace.

Meanwhile, the three from the Little Windmill Harbour had long since walked out of sight, their whereabouts unknown.

Hei Si pressed his attack. Tang Cuo suddenly thought of something, turned his head to look in the direction they had come from, and narrowed his eyes slightly. The Druids and those adventurers had left quite a while ago. According to Tang Cuo’s guess, it was impossible for them to successfully leave this forest, or even wander too far, because they were still inside the illusion.

But the forest was dead silent; there wasn’t a single sound.

Did something happen?

Right at that moment, the Black Iron Furnace finally shattered into pieces. The iron chunks sank into the lake, causing ripples to spread across the surface, unable to calm down for a long time. Hei Meng turned back and saw that the sleeping Hamur seemed to be frowning. He immediately ordered Hei Si to continue attacking the Alchemical Colossus.

A short while later, the Alchemical Colossus also collapsed.

The dwarf on the ground groaned. The fog suddenly began to surge, obscuring everyone’s vision. When their vision returned, the scene before them had drastically changed—they were all standing in a forest, surrounded by towering ancient trees. The Secret Lake and the Black Iron Furnace simply did not exist.

Everyone was somewhat alarmed and bewildered. In the distance, the shouts and gasps of Dorn and the others could be heard. They had walked quite far earlier and thus hadn’t heard the conversation between Tang Cuo and Hei brothers.

Tang Cuo ignored them. Glancing at the slowly awakening Hamur, he turned and walked straight in the direction they had come from. He walked very fast, and within a few minutes, he found the extinguished campfire.

Continuing forward, he collided head-on with two panicked Druids.

“They disappeared! We got separated in the fog just now, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone!” a Druid yelled.

Tang Cuo frowned, about to ask a question, when he caught sight of something in the southern direction out of the corner of his eye. It was a faint, black lake. His heart leaped, and he immediately changed course and ran toward it.

The Secret Lake. A completely different Secret Lake had appeared once again.