His saber was so fast and powerful that it seemed these fallen adventurers were merely decorations.
In fact, any seasoned professional here could see all the fallen adventurers maintained their peak combat strength, able to launch a violent yet orderly group assault on the intruders.
Wang Zhifan then stepped forward towards the throne that intercepted the aftermath of his saber wave, confirming this thing to be the so-called reward, and of a not-so-low grade.
[Throne of Purgatory (Epic Layer)]
[King of Purgatory: Sit on this throne, and you can summon a Purgatory army with a maximum of a million individuals. Targets killed by your army will automatically revive and join them as a member of the grand force.]
[Kingly Dignity: You can only control the Purgatory army by sitting on the throne; otherwise, the army will fall into disordered chaos.]
[The King Will Not Easily Fall: Before your army is completely defeated, as long as you sit on the throne, you will automatically withstand damage, and the damage you suffer will be evenly distributed across the entire army.]
"A chair that can summon an army of millions? Targets killed automatically join the army? Sitting on the chair makes the army eternal, and the person invincible? With this, wouldn't I be invincible?"
Reading the throne's description, Wang Zhifan couldn't help but marvel at encountering such an incredible item. Just reading the explanation reveals its formidable power; an army of a million is not to be trifled with.
"But it seems there's a bit of a pitfall... When summoned, can this army be disbanded or disappear? You must sit on the throne to control the army; could it be that once seated, you wouldn't dare get off?"
A brief ponder revealed many issues with the throne, seeming less like a tool to help its owner conquer the world, and more like a means to recruit a commander for the Purgatory army.
"No matter, I'll use it carefully. Better to take it first."
Without much hesitation, Wang Zhifan lifted the throne and transferred it into his Space Ring.
He then walked towards a side door of the palace, heading to the next treasure site.
Utilizing his formidable comprehensive strength, he swept through the maze with astonishing speed, eliminating all remaining monsters and seizing all the treasures they guarded.
During this time, he acquired many excellent items, but encountered no more from the Epic Layer until he reached the deepest part of the maze, where he stood before a huge, fiercely burning azure-blue bonfire.
This bonfire was five meters high and eight meters around, but getting close to it didn't feel hot, rather a bit chilly, in line with its azure-blue hue.
At the center of the blue flames, a beautiful girl could be seen, kneeling with closed eyes in silent prayer before a luxurious longsword stabbed into the ground.
The girl had splendid golden hair, snow-white skin, and a flawless, exquisite face, with large white wings on her back, indistinguishable from the angels of legend.
The most crucial point was that it could easily be seen she was alive, in perfect peak condition, exuding a very powerful aura from her entire being.
With Wang Zhifan's footsteps drawing near, this angel-like figure slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of emotionless silver pupils.
Yet to Wang Zhifan's surprise, the owner of those lifeless silver eyes not only did not attack but spoke words urging him to turn back and leave.
"Turn back, adventurer! There is nothing here that you seek as treasure! Fruitless battles will only add another cold corpse to this place!"
Wang Zhifan quietly listened, his gaze passing over the cold blue flames and the angel slowly rising from within, and then he asked in slight confusion:
"If there is no treasure, why are you here posing a challenge? And about the cold corpse you mentioned, why do I not see any traces?"
His inquiry momentarily paused the surrounding air, then the angel within the blue flames spoke while drawing out the luxurious longsword before her:
"Believe it or not, there truly is no treasure... As for corpses, because you are the first person to reach here in two hundred years, I have yet to create any."
After finishing, the angel in the blue flames brandished the luxurious longsword in hand, pointing it warningly towards Wang Zhifan, not far in front.
Facing this first boss able to communicate since entering the maze, Wang Zhifan's fighting spirit was ignited.
He could feel the opponent was very powerful, more so than all the targets he had fought in the maze combined, and though no apparent rewards lay around the angel, he wanted to try.
"Thank you for your warning… But I believe we must fight today!"
With that, he unsheathed his saber and unleashed his full strength, colliding fiercely with the sword-wielding angel!
BOOM!
A terrifying shockwave erupted at the center of their confrontation, wildly sweeping into the surrounding darkness.
For the first time, Wang Zhifan discovered the weapon struck by his Cyan Emperor Saber did not shatter; that longsword withstood the forceful blow of the Cyan Emperor Saber, and the power of the angel bathed in blue flames was equally immense, holding her ground even as their clash hinted at being pressed back.
"Such a strong opponent… The basic attributes are frighteningly high… Let's see how the combat skills fare!"
Finding a worthy adversary, he felt joy rather than fear, employing the exquisite saber techniques of Great Dream Saber Scripture and the superior body technique of Wind and Thunder Heaven-Treading Skill to engage in fierce combat with the angel, both figures appearing almost instantly at hundreds of positions, beyond the viewing ability of ordinary people.
This fervor in battle owed to the fact he hadn't faced a challengeable opponent in quite a long time, with his past enemies either being instant kills or being crushed, rarely encountering evenly matched situations.
The guardians in the Land of the Dead Soul dungeon were no real opponents without Netherworld's protection, incapable of enduring long combat against him.
But the angel-like being before him was different; she kept pace with Wang Zhifan, her attacks rhythmical and impeccable in force, speed, and technique, coupled with a longsword not inferior to the Cyan Emperor Saber, providing substantial pressure.
Wang Zhifan fought valiantly against the strong enemy, initially contesting only basic capabilities, their saber and sword exchanging powerful and solid blows that generated a terrifying shockwave altering the surrounding terrain.
Later, he gradually deployed his ultimate moves, executing Dream Transformation Grand Thousand and ephemeral dream-like saber techniques one after another, filling the opponent's view with clones.
The angel was slightly sluggish during this phase, probably unfamiliar with such attack methods, being drawn into Wang Zhifan's advantageous territory.
Nonetheless, she soon found a way to respond, unleashing her full power to cleave open the Dream World with a single sword stroke; the azure flames erased all clones, even holding the sword horizontally to chant great might, engaging in ultimate technique confrontation with Wang Zhifan, causing violent tremors in the entire maze.
The two battled for a full two hours before results suddenly emerged, for the fatigued angel voluntarily conceded, unwilling to continue fighting.
"Human, our battle is meaningless; I admit my defeat, please stop."
At this moment, the azure flames surrounding the angel had significantly shrunk from the start, now barely covering her entire body, unable to extend to the surrounding area, likely the key factor inducing her surrender.
"You haven't actually lost; it's still just a draw at this point."
Wang Zhifan halted his offensive, his endurance extremely strong, and the current state differed little from the start of the battle.
"However, if you truly wish to end the fight, you must reveal something, like where the real reward is, what kind of existence you are, and why you are here."
Wang Zhifan sensed strange patterns within the angel, evidently a high-level being equipped excellently, yet detained in this barren underground; there must be profound reasons behind.