Edited by Aelryinth

The group was finally able to vent after being tortured for more than two months. They subconsciously increased their pace when they saw the white compass, like prisoners who had caught a glimpse of the sunlight.

Zhao Manyan was leading the way. When he reached the top and was about to finally see the thing that could finally release them from their burden, a dark flicker in the shape of a crescent slashed across his belly!

Blood immediately scattered in the air and splattered on the others a few steps behind.

Zhao Manyan went flying as blood poured out from the cut. Mo Fan quickly dragged him back with Telekinesis when he saw him about to fall further down the stairs.

"Old Zhao!" Mo Fan yelled. From his angle, it looked like Zhao Manyan was almost sliced in half by the dark flicker. The Ring of Venice did activate, yet its defense broke in an instant!

"That f**king hurts!" Zhao Manyan landed on the ground with a pale face. The cut on his belly was very deep. It had most likely destroyed his organs. He was in tears from the immense pain.

Mo Fan let out a relieved sigh when he heard Zhao Manyan talking. It was a relief that he was still alive!

Mo Fan quickly fed Zhao Manyan some of the sacred medicine of the Parthenon Temple he had in reserve.

Zhao Manyan's belly had been sliced open, and blood was pouring out of the cut at an insane rate. Loss of blood was going to take his life in just a few minutes. Mo Fan was well aware of that, and kept pouring the medicine into Zhao Manyan's mouth as if it was water!

The recovery Potions would keep Zhao Manyan alive and replenish his lost blood. Unfortunately, they did not have a Healer among them. He would have been fine if a Healer was around to mend his wounds while his life was rejuvenated with the help of the sacred Potions.

"I'll treat his wounds. Watch out for the thing up there!" Mu Bai said.

Mo Fan nodded. He was definitely not experienced in taking care of the wounded. He put on a hard face as he sensed a dark aura surging at him like a wave. He could already guess what the thing was!

"It's a Dark Swordmaster, be careful!" Zhao Manyan called out.

Mo Fan went up and focused on the top of the stairs. He stared at the pitch-black creature standing beside the Underworld Compass.

The creature was wearing armor imbued with dark magic. Its glossy surface showed it was made of sturdy metal.

The creature was holding a huge sword of death, and circled by a dark aura that had taken many lives. Every time its sword was swung through the air, it would produce ghastly cries that remained in one's mind, even if they tried to ignore them!

It was one of the Pharaohs' strongest servants, the Dark Swordmasters!

It was not Mo Fan's first time encountering a creature brimming with dark energy like this. As a matter of fact, these Dark Swordmasters did not necessarily serve under the Pharaohs. Their true master was the God of Darkness, but because the Dark Swordmasters were everywhere, it made the God of Darkness even more mysterious and honorable!

"That guy is stronger than the Dark Swordmasters we've encountered before," Mo Fan told the others.

The strength of every Dark Swordmaster varied. It was obvious that the Dark Swordmaster defending the Underworld Compass was not just a Ruler-inferior creature, but a true Ruler itself. The suffocating pressure facing Mo Fan was stronger than the ones he had met before.

"What do we do now?" Shreev asked in a trembling voice.

Did they really stand a chance against a real Ruler-level creature?

As a matter of fact, they had not thought they could escape from a Ruler-level creature prior to entering the Pyramid, let alone defeat one!

"What do we do?" Mo Fan had already prepared his Soul-grade Flames. The flames danced around him like phoenixes, "Either it dies, or we die!"

Fight!

The Underworld Compass was right in front of them. Mo Fan had no intention of turning around and leaving. He could finally vent the urge to fight with all his strength against the Dark Swordmaster!

It was the last guardian standing in their way. Khufu obviously thought no one could possibly defeat the Scorpion Lord Medusa and the Giant Golden Bird, so he only allocated a Dark Swordmaster to defend the Underworld Compass. It was something they should be relieved to see!

They should be relieved that it was only a Dark Swordmaster, instead of some incredibly powerful Ruler-level creature that would send them into despair!

No matter how low their chance of winning was, they were able to rely on their own strength to achieve their goal. It was already enough motivation for Mo Fan to fight until the end!

"Little Flame Belle, Possess!"

Mo Fan was well aware of how strong his enemy was. It was his first time relying on his own strength to fight a true Ruler-level creature.

The Demon Element was not really that reliable, after all. He was more inclined to believe in the power that was under his control all the time.

Just treat the Dark Swordmaster as a stepping stone along his path to becoming an honorable Mage!

The huge sword swung through the air again. The eerie screech sounded inside Mo Fan's mind.

The screech would make a person feel like they were surrounded by vengeful spirits. The spirits that had been slain and tortured by the Dark Swordmaster were trying to inflict fear on Mo Fan. However, Mo Fan was no longer harassed by these petty spirits once he had made up his mind!

The figure of Flame Belle, as transparent as a veil, appeared behind Mo Fan. His control of the Fire Element maximized when he was Possessed by Little Flame Belle. The other two Soul-grade Flames from Little Flame Belle merged perfectly with his body and soul!

"I'm going to defeat you with my bare hands!" Mo Fan's shout drove the vengeful spirits around him away. A fierce burning aura surrounded him and set the air on fire. Flames continuously filled the area.

"Sword intent!" The Dark Swordmaster raised its sword with a single hand as its deep voice came out from its helmet.

The huge sword hung in the air. A black lightning bolt struck it and filled it with dark energy!

"Darkness Descends!"

The Dark Swordmaster unleashed a formidable aura of darkness. It surged into the surroundings like a storm, covering everything within a few kilometers.

Mo Fan took a few steps back after the aura struck him directly. The Fire Magic spreading from him was suppressed. He was surrounded by darkness, and could no longer see his surroundings clearly.

"Dawnbreak!"

The Dark Swordmaster uttered the name of its sword art in an imperious manner. The huge sword hanging in the air suddenly came down. It was so quick that no one could see how it had swung its sword, nor could they see the angle of the slash. Mo Fan could only see a glimpse of light sweeping through the darkness like the light of dawn.

The sword light was deadly. The darkness was meant to help the Dark Swordmaster lock its sword onto Mo Fan, so he would have no chance of dodging the Dawnbreak slash following it!

A line of blood jetted into the air. Mo Fan, still surrounded by flames, skidded away a certain distance from his initial spot. A thin cut, from which the blood was coming, extended across his chest.

The shadow puppet around two hundred meters away from Mo Fan was sliced in half. The fake flames engulfing it dissipating. A damaged Mantle fell slowly to the ground.

"It can even see through my Dark Noble Mantle's tricks!" Mo Fan groaned, holding his chest.

Mo Fan knew the Dark Swordmaster had locked its sword intent onto him. He quickly used the Dark Noble Mantle to dodge the slash by leaving a puppet in his initial spot and disguising it with his flames. To his surprise, the Dark Swordmaster's slash did not even care if it was the puppet or Mo Fan, it simply attacked them both. Luckily, Mo Fan was a Shadow Mage, so his movement in the darkness was not too restricted. Otherwise, there would have been no chance to avoid the slash!

"You have a sword, I have a sword too!" Mo Fan was not satisfied with the outcome of being injured in the first round.

Mo Fan ignored his injury. Such things did not bother him unless he was bleeding profusely.

Three different flames engulfed him and gathered to his hand. The Meteor Scarlet, the Calamity Fire, and the Ardent Sunset assembled the hilt, the blade, and the flames around themselves.

Mo Fan could maintain the Flame Sword for a longer time with his greater control now. He had no clue how to use a sword, so he had just been whacking his enemies with it all along!

"Take this!"

Mo Fan waited until the Flame Sword was completed. He leapt into the air and swung the sword brimming with the energy of the flames at the Dark Swordmaster. Its enormous blade and formidable flames raised a few Groundbreaks around the Dark Swordmaster, further increasing its momentum!

The Dark Swordmaster's eyes flickered with a hint of disdain through the gaps of its helmet. It indifferently raised its sword while emitting a dark light. Several shadows of its sword stacked up on top of it to form a defensive formation. Despite the strength and raging flames of Mo Fan's sword, it was able to block them all!

The Dark Swordmaster stared at Mo Fan coldly, like a master of the sword resisting the strongest blow that a rookie holding a wooden sword could deliver. It was able to nullify his attack with ease. At the same time, it was snorting disdainfully at him!

He was dishonoring the art of the sword!

The Dark Swordmaster harrumphed coldly. A strong force suddenly burst out of its sword and knocked Mo Fan and his flames away!