Chapter 1 The Black Flame Hellhound

Nie Yan passed through the misty area. In the distance, a gigantic hound appeared before his eyes. Its size was comparable to an ordinary brown bear, its body covered in thick fur that dragged on the ground. It stuck out its scarlet tongue, which radiated scorching heat.

It was a fire-type creature, capable of using flames!

The hound paced restlessly inside the cave, a thick iron chain locked around its neck. The other end of the chain was firmly embedded in the rock, restricting its movements. Its range of activity was very small, but it possessed ranged attacks, which posed a great threat to players. As soon as it detected someone nearby, it would immediately spew out a mouthful of fire.

Nie Yan slowly approached in stealth, stopping about thirty yards away to cast a Detect on it.

Black Flame Hellhound: Level 70 Lord, Health 320,000/320,000.

Another Level 70 Lord, with a full 320,000 health. With this Black Flame Hellhound guarding the area, Nie Yan simply couldn’t pass. The dark and gloomy cave ahead seemed to have no end.

It was absolutely impossible for Nie Yan to defeat this Black Flame Hellhound with his current strength. He estimated the length of the chain on the Black Flame Hellhound to be about ten yards.

The only way was to charge past!

But even charging past under the Black Flame Hellhound’s feet wasn’t a simple task.

Nie Yan gradually crept towards the Black Flame Hellhound, getting closer and closer, only about twenty yards away. Suddenly, the Black Flame Hellhound moved, lunging towards Nie Yan and spewing a mouthful of scorching flames.

The flames blazed fiercely, the heat wave intense.

Nie Yan activated God's Blessing, charging straight ahead through the flames.

The flames poured down on Nie Yan, rapidly dispersing after touching his body. The flames crackled and popped, but they simply couldn’t harm Nie Yan in the slightest. God's Blessing granted spell immunity!

The exploding firelight stung Nie Yan's eyes.

Just then, the Black Flame Hellhound suddenly accelerated, pouncing on him, its sharp claws whistling as they aimed to tear Nie Yan to shreds.

Just as the Black Flame Hellhound's claws were about to strike him, Nie Yan suddenly used Gale Step. With a clang, he used Gale Step’s invincibility effect to block the Black Flame Hellhound's attack.

Nie Yan's body slipped through under the Black Flame Hellhound's body, almost getting crushed by it.

He accelerated and sprinted, using an Acceleration Scroll and activating Gale Retreat. He had to get past!

The Black Flame Hellhound missed its attack and landed on the ground, quickly turning around and pouncing on Nie Yan again.

Nie Yan's speed was clearly not on the same level as the Black Flame Hellhound. He was quickly caught up from behind. The Black Flame Hellhound slammed a claw down on Nie Yan's back.

Shadow Waltz!

With a clang, Nie Yan used the first two seconds of Shadow Waltz’s invincibility effect to block the Black Flame Hellhound's attack, but the enormous force from behind still sent him flying.

Nie Yan flew through the air, supporting himself with his right hand and flipping to land on the ground, barely managing to stand firm.

Before Nie Yan could make any move, the Black Flame Hellhound had already caught up. Daring not to delay, he sprinted away.

Without Gale Step, without Shadow Waltz, what could Nie Yan use to defend against the Black Flame Hellhound's attacks?

The Black Flame Hellhound's attack speed was too fast, several times faster than Nie Yan’s. Simple body movements wouldn’t be enough to dodge.

If the Black Flame Hellhound hit Nie Yan, it would probably be an instant kill without any suspense.

Nie Yan had already reached his speed limit, constantly changing direction, using an S-shaped pattern to evade the Black Flame Hellhound's attacks. The Black Flame Hellhound paused slightly, but still pounced forward at its fastest speed.

Just as the Black Flame Hellhound was about to pounce on Nie Yan, Nie Yan suddenly shot out a strand of spider silk from his left hand. The spider silk stuck to the rock wall more than five yards away. With a sharp tug, his body flew sideways. The speed was extremely fast as he flew, temporarily avoiding the Black Flame Hellhound's attack.

The Black Flame Hellhound still chased relentlessly, its claws only a few inches away from Nie Yan's back.

Nie Yan flew across more than ten yards, retracted the spider silk, landed on the ground, staggered a few steps, and barely managed to stand firm.

In that instant, the Black Flame Hellhound pounced on Nie Yan's back, its claws getting closer and closer. Nie Yan seemed completely unaware.

Just as tragedy was about to strike, and the Black Flame Hellhound was about to instantly kill Nie Yan, things suddenly took a turn. The thick iron chain holding the Black Flame Hellhound suddenly tightened. The chain was too short! A powerful force tore at the Black Flame Hellhound's neck, pulling it backwards.

The Black Flame Hellhound was pulled back several steps by the chain. It pounced forward again, but was immediately pulled back by the chain. The chain was stretched taut, and no matter how it pounced, it still couldn’t attack Nie Yan.

The length of the chain had reached its limit. It angrily spewed flames, and balls of fire fell on Nie Yan's body. Nie Yan's God's Blessing state hadn't disappeared yet.

Nie Yan smiled slightly. As expected, his estimated distance was correct. Although his heart was pounding, he was also very fortunate. He had finally made it through, safe and sound.

Nie Yan quickly left the Black Flame Hellhound's attack range and darted forward.

He slowed down after getting more than fifty yards away from the Black Flame Hellhound. He was finally safe.

Looking back, the Black Flame Hellhound was standing there, panting heavily, occasionally spewing out a breath or two of hot air.

Having shaken off the Black Flame Hellhound, Nie Yan continued to travel through the winding tunnel. After traveling several hundred yards, a secret chamber appeared before Nie Yan. It was a very small secret chamber, about 3 by 3 yards, with the entrance enclosed by iron bars. The iron bars were made of a strange dark metal and contained rich magical elements. The iron bars were locked with a huge iron lock.

The iron bars looked very sturdy.

Nie Yan looked inside the iron bars. A thin old man was bound to the wall inside. His wrists and ankles were all cast in iron rings and then locked with thick iron chains. He could only walk around slightly in the corner of the secret chamber.

The old man's cloth robe was a bit faded, but he still looked hale and hearty. He wasn't tall, but he gave off a feeling of explosive power.

Nie Yan raised an eyebrow. It was the last hostage!

Nie Yan cast a Super Identify on the old man.

Parrot: Level 70 Lord, Thief, Elder of the Thieves Guild, Marquis.

The old man's status wasn't low. He was actually an elder of the Thieves Guild and held the title of Marquis. Thinking about the journey here, finding him really wasn't easy!

Nie Yan examined the iron bars. The iron bars were made of thick steel bars, engraved with tiny runes that couldn't be seen without careful observation.