The images dissipated, and silence returned to the high platform.

The cold white light of the soul fire fell upon everyone's faces, illuminating their expressions with a clear paleness.

Zhao Hu closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Feng Qingyan spoke in a raspy voice, "He wasn't a bad person... he just wanted to protect everyone too much."

Zhao Hu opened his eyes and said in a low voice, "The Black Tide is terrifying. Not only does it have monsters, but it can also silently erode powerful experts like him."

Jiang Zhaoyue stood at the edge of the high platform with her back to the group, her silver moon sky spear propped against the ground, her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

She was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, "Elderland... must have been completely swallowed by the Nightmare World."

But I don't understand why the Black Tide launched a direct, full-scale invasion of Elderland, yet for Blue Star, it's conducting a Lord War within the Nightmare World? Is there something different about Blue Star compared to Elderland?"

Tie Dun scratched his head and added naively, "What's the difference? Could it be that Elderland has gods while our Blue Star doesn't?"

No one responded. Shi Pojun stood in silence, lightly thumping his Tower Shield against the ground. The dull thud sounded like a final farewell to the deceased.

Lin Feng tucked the Memory Fragment into his robes and scanned the group. His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight: "The fate of Elderland will not be repeated on Blue Star, because we will win, and we will keep on winning."

The wind on the platform poured down from the dome, fluttering the hem of Lin Feng's clothes.

The blood on the Wildfire Spear hadn't dried yet, gleaming a dull black under the cold white soul fire.

Tie Dun was the first to break the silence, slamming his shield onto the ground.

He grinned and said, "Exactly! With the Lord here, what's the Black Tide? If one comes, we kill one; if two come, we kill a pair! Next time the Black Tide shows up, I'll be the first to charge!"

Feng Qingyan also wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, the Fire Crystal on her staff reigniting with an orange-red flicker.

She took a deep breath, her voice still a bit nasal, but her tone had regained its liveliness. "Brother Tie Dun is right! With Lord Lin here, there is hope for Blue Star!"

He soloed a Level 35 Rare Boss and fought his way in and out of an Undead Army of over two thousand. So what if the Black Tide comes?

One thrust per kill, he'll turn them all into sieves!" She grew more excited as she spoke, tracing a circle in the air with her staff.

"When the time comes, I'll follow behind Lord Lin and cast fire walls, making those monsters howl! If my sister knew I fought side by side with Lord Lin, she'd be dying of envy!"

Hearing the two of them praise him in tandem, Lin Feng's lip couldn't help but twitch.

He looked down at the scorch marks on his body left by the Death Touch, then at the Wildfire Spear in his hand, which was still dripping with [N O V E L I G H T] black blood.

He looked up, met two faces that practically screamed "you're super strong," and couldn't help but laugh. "Am I really that strong?"

Tie Dun's eyes widened. "Lord, you killed a Level 35 Rare Boss all by yourself! That guy could cast curses, fire beams, and even summon lackeys! You tell me if you're strong or not!"

Feng Qingyan nodded vigorously, her ponytail swinging back and forth. "Strong! Super strong! The strongest on Blue Star!"

Everyone laughed.

Zhao Hu shook his head, but a smile curved his lips.

Shi Pojun remained expressionless, but he lifted his Tower Shield from the ground and hoisted it back onto his shoulder, looking much more relaxed.

Jiang Zhaoyue turned around and pulled out her silver moon sky spear, the tip flashing with a cold light. Her eyes were still red, but a faint smile had touched her lips.

Laughter echoed on the high platform, diluting the previous heavy atmosphere.

Tie Dun continued to ramble about the Lord's brilliance and martial prowess, with Feng Qingyan adding fuel to the fire. The two of them went back and forth like a comedy duo.

Lin Feng was about to say something when the ground beneath him shook.

Small bone fragments cascaded from the edge of the platform as cracks spread upward from its base, spider-webbing across the bone walls with increasing speed.

The soul fire dome overhead also swayed, its cold white light flickering.

"The platform is collapsing!" Zhao Hu barked.

"Retreat!" Lin Feng didn't hesitate, turning to dash toward the slope.

The others followed close behind, stepping over the bone-strewn ground as they ran toward the plains.

Behind them, the cracks in the bone platform grew wider, bone fragments constantly falling away. The thickest central bone pillar began to tilt, emitting a piercing creak.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Tie Dun glanced back and ran even faster.

They had barely run a hundred paces after rushing off the platform when a deafening roar erupted behind them.

The bone platform collapsed with a crash, countless bones falling from above and kicking up a massive cloud of bone meal and dust.

The grayish-white dust billowed in all directions, swallowing the original site of the platform.

The group stopped and looked back. The platform had turned into a pile of bone shards, its highest point not even as tall as a person.

Bone dust permeated the air, drifting down slowly like grayish-white snow.

As the dust gradually cleared, a translucent light curtain was revealed in the center of the bone pile.

The light curtain shimmered with a pale blue luster under the cold white soul fire, with runes slowly circulating around its edges. A line of text was written upon it:

【Dungeon Floor Five Entrance】

...

The group stood before the ruins of the bone platform, gazing at the translucent light curtain.

The curtain bore the words "Dungeon Floor Five Entrance," its pale blue light appearing exceptionally chilly under the cold white glow of the soul fire.

"The fifth floor..." Tie Dun swallowed hard.

"We've only cleared four floors and already ran into a Level 35 Rare Boss. What kind of monsters will be on the fifth floor?"

Feng Qingyan gripped her staff, the flame on the fire crystal flickering. "Who cares what monsters are there? With Lord Lin around, what is there to fear!"

Lin Feng didn't respond. He walked to the light curtain and reached out to touch it. A warm sensation met his fingertips, and just like the previous floors, there was no resistance.

He glanced back at the group, then stepped into the light curtain. The others followed.

There were no stairs, no slopes, and no downward passages.

The moment they stepped out of the light curtain, the sensation beneath their feet changed from bone shards to hard stone slabs.

The light before them shifted abruptly; the cold white of the soul fire vanished, replaced by a silvery-white glow like moonlight—heatless, yet sufficiently bright.

A system prompt appeared before their eyes.

【System Notification: Dungeon Floor Four has been cleared.】

【Restriction Lifted: Entry restrictions for Adventurers to Floor Four have been removed.】

Lin Feng looked up and began to survey his surroundings.

It was a massive underground plaza with a dome thirty meters high, smooth and level without any cracks.

In the very center of the dome hung a Magic Lamp. Its shade was made of silvery-white metal with hollowed-out patterns resembling ancient runes. Light spilled through the openings, bathing the entire plaza in a chilly glow.

The plaza was circular, approximately five hundred meters in diameter.

The floor was paved with black stone slabs, each polished to a mirror-like finish that reflected their silhouettes.

Twelve black stone pillars stood around the perimeter of the plaza, each as thick as two men's embrace. Atop them were carved statues of assassins.

They were kneeling on one knee, wielding twin blades, with masks covering their faces.

Under the light of the Magic Lamp, the statues' faces were shrouded in shadow, with only their eyes reflecting a cold light, as if they were looking down at the intruders in cold silence.

At the end of the plaza, a grand hall stood majestically.