Chapter 1 The Beginning

Nie Yan walked over and saw a huge crucifix standing in the lava, nailing an NPC to it. This NPC was much taller than ordinary people, wearing only a simple animal skin loincloth. His upper body was naked, covered in strong muscles that bulged and rippled, giving off a sense of power, like a fierce beast.

Judging from his features, he was a barbarian!

Barbarians were one of the races of humans. They didn't understand any magic, only some close combat skills. Because they often fought with beasts in the jungle, they developed various powerful combat skills, and fighting was almost their instinct.

Barbarians were also a legendary group. Their race would never exceed two thousand people, but they gave birth to countless powerful Shenwu warriors. Some of them even became mythical existences. For example, the War God Krollo was one of them.

Nie Yan was about thirty yards away from this barbarian. This barbarian was in his prime, his hair already long, hanging down and covering his face, making it impossible to see what he looked like.

Nie Yan had seen several barbarians in his previous life. They were extremely powerful NPCs, a group of respected people. In every war, they were the mainstay, slaughtering countless dark creatures. In Hilton Fortress, the legends of several barbarians were spread everywhere.

Nie Yan discovered that this barbarian was tied to a cross, nailed with steel nails. The hard steel nails pierced through the muscles of his palms and body, preventing him from moving. In addition, his hand bones and ankles were bound by metal chains.

In this situation, he couldn't break free at all.

The barbarian seemed to sense something, looked up at Nie Yan, his deep black eyes bright and piercing, giving a penetrating feeling.

Nie Yan used a Super Appraisal on the barbarian.

Barbarian Krolloyez: Level 360 Lord.

He was a level 360 Lord-level character, which startled Nie Yan. Under normal circumstances, NPCs above level 300 were legendary figures, just like Karls. It was estimated that Karls's level might not be as high as this guy's.

"Young man, why are you here?" the barbarian Krolloyez asked, his voice low and hoarse, his tone very calm.

"I'm just an adventurer," Nie Yan said, fearlessly meeting the barbarian Krolloyez's penetrating gaze. The barbarian Krolloyez's eyes were as sharp as blades, and a feeling of being shocked by his gaze welled up in Nie Yan's heart.

Even though he was bound to the cross, the barbarian Krolloyez still possessed unparalleled power.

He looked at Nie Yan and actually showed a hint of admiring smile.

"Adventurer, you are weak, but you have a strong will," the barbarian Krolloyez said, glancing listlessly at the surrounding lava. "This damn place, I've been here for nearly a thousand years."

Hearing the barbarian Krolloyez's words, Nie Yan's heart stirred. It was very likely that a quest could be triggered from the barbarian Krolloyez.

"Do you need my help?" Nie Yan looked at the barbarian Krolloyez and asked.

Their eyes met.

The barbarian Krolloyez looked at Nie Yan, smiled faintly, and said, "Young man, you are too weak. You cannot rescue me unless someone with the Heart of the Holy Spirit, holding the Sword of Zennarde, can cut open my chains."

Hearing his words, Nie Yan's heart stirred. In his previous life, players might have come here and relayed the barbarian Krolloyez's words, which was why those legends circulated outside.

However, until later, these legends were not officially confirmed.

It was possible that this quest required a very high level to complete and involved some secrets, so the official website did not publish the quest-related information.

"How can I obtain the Heart of the Holy Spirit?" Nie Yan asked. The Heart of the Holy Spirit was just a distant legend in his previous life, and very few people could obtain it.

"The Heart of the Holy Spirit is generally possessed by Holy Knights. It's as difficult as ascending to heaven for other professions to obtain the Heart of the Holy Spirit," the barbarian Krolloyez said. He looked at Nie Yan's firm eyes and suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly. "I don't know why, but I actually think you can obtain the Heart of the Holy Spirit. Maybe it's because I've been trapped here for too long and want to get out too much. Young man, are you willing to retrieve the Sword of Zennarde, unlock the seal on the Sword of Zennarde, and help me cut off these damn chains?"

System: Do you decide to accept the barbarian Krolloyez's request? Quest time: five months. Penalty for failing the quest: level -10.

Nie Yan thought for a moment and clicked confirm. The penalty for failing this quest wasn't particularly serious for him, so it wouldn't hurt to accept it. Regarding the Sword of Zennarde, Nie Yan still had some questions in his mind. Could he go up and take the Sword of Zennarde?

If he could take the Sword of Zennarde, it would be worth it even if he died dozens of times!

It would be a pity if he couldn't get such a top-quality treasure like the Sword of Zennarde.

System: You have accepted the barbarian Krolloyez's request.

System: You have obtained the barbarian Krolloyez's blessing. Barbarian Krolloyez's blessing: Possesses the power to suppress evil, lasting for five months.

What was this blessing state?

Nie Yan was stunned for a moment. His heart stirred, and he looked up at the Sword of Zennarde at the top. This divine sword was suspended in the sky, and had been like this since ancient times. A mysterious power seemed to penetrate time and space. The power to suppress evil, did it refer to the Sword of Zennarde above?

"How can I obtain the Heart of the Holy Spirit?" Nie Yan asked. This Heart of the Holy Spirit was the most crucial thing.

"Don't worry," the barbarian Krolloyez said with a smile. He chanted a long incantation, and a white light fell from the sky, enveloping Nie Yan. "I once received the blessing of the Father God and am the only barbarian who can master magical power. Therefore, I can give you a blessing. As for whether you can obtain the Heart of the Holy Spirit, it will depend on yourself."

The white light paused, and Nie Yan looked at his own status. An extra skill had appeared in his skill bar.

Purification Aura: Purifies the corpses of evil creatures within five yards, thereby obtaining the power of light.

The Heart of the Holy Spirit required the purification of a certain number of evil creatures to obtain. As for how many were needed, Nie Yan didn't know. The number must be extremely large, otherwise, there wouldn't have been only three Holy Knights who possessed the Heart of the Holy Spirit in his previous life.

"Respected Mr. Krolloyez, thank you for your blessing," Nie Yan said. It seemed that it would be a long time before he could come and rescue the barbarian Krolloyez.

After casting the blessing, the barbarian Krolloyez revealed a tired expression and said, "Please remember my request. If you want to leave here, I can open a portal for you."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Krolloyez, may I take the Sword of Zennarde away?" Nie Yan asked, looking at the Sword of Zennarde in the distance.

"If you can take the Sword of Zennarde down," the barbarian Krolloyez said. It was impossible for ordinary players to reach that place. After ordinary players went back, they would think of some ways, such as getting a Ring of Levitation or something, and then come here to take the Sword of Zennarde.

"I can go up," Nie Yan said. He was excited when he heard the barbarian Krolloyez say that he could take the Sword of Zennarde.

"That Sword of Zennarde was sealed after Zennarde died. Its attributes are no longer as powerful as after it's unsealed," the barbarian Krolloyez said to Nie Yan.

According to Nie Yan's experience, even if this type of famous equipment was sealed, its attributes would still be extremely powerful.

He guessed that the blessing of suppressing evil that the barbarian Krolloyez had given him was to allow him to control the Sword of Zennarde!

Thieves could use short swords and other weapons besides daggers!

Thinking of this, Nie Yan couldn't wait any longer. He looked at the skill on the Crawler Ring. After so long, the skill on the Crawler Ring had already cooled down.

Nie Yan bid farewell to the barbarian Krolloyez and walked towards the statue in the distance. He activated the skill on the Crawler Ring and jumped onto the statue. Sticking to the statue, he quickly climbed up. After a few minutes, Nie Yan climbed from the foot of the statue to the chest. He shot out a strand of spider silk with his left hand. The spider silk stuck to the statue's arm. He pulled hard and leaped more than ten yards, his limbs stuck to the statue's arm, and quickly climbed towards the palm of the statue.

After a while, Nie Yan climbed to the palm of the statue and stood on the relatively flat area of the statue's palm. The Sword of Zennarde was already close at hand. Black flames burned on the Sword of Zennarde, jumping non-stop.

Nie Yan walked towards the Sword of Zennarde in front.

This slender short sword floated quietly, about a yard long. It was jet black all over, and a viper was carved on the hilt, lifelike, as if it was about to leap out. The sword body was like black crystal, crystal clear, and the sword body had two barbed hooks. The blade was snow-bright, and the sword aura was awe-inspiring.

'System: You have discovered the Sword of Zennarde, the Dragon King. This sword is attached with a powerful evil force and possesses supreme power. Legend has it that if the person who uses the Sword of Zennarde, the Dragon King, cannot suppress the evil power on it, he will be backlashed by the Sword of Zennarde.'

As Nie Yan had guessed, players needed the barbarian Krolloyez's suppression of evil before they could touch this Sword of Zennarde!

Nie Yan walked to the Sword of Zennarde, reached out and grabbed the hilt of the Sword of Zennarde. A surge of dark power penetrated through his palm and into his body, causing him to shiver. But then, his whole body bloomed with white light, and a warm power quickly rushed to his right hand, suppressing the dark power of the Sword of Zennarde.