The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　The character "胧" exudes a dark and gloomy aura.

　He quietly stopped and used his spiritual power to sense the barrier in front of him.

　The barrier was hidden in the darkness, seemingly able to absorb vision. When spiritual energy spread over it, there was a feeling of being instantly absorbed.

　"Spiritual perception cannot penetrate it, and magic power will be absorbed. It may be able to absorb magic power to nourish itself. It is indeed of an extremely high level."

　Dark did not communicate with the maid outside the barrier.

　He judged that there must be someone guarding the inside of the barrier.

　To avoid being exposed, they were already in the zone from the moment they entered the passage.

　After observing carefully for a while, Dak continued forward. Upon touching the black mist, he felt a coolness and sensed dark elements gathering within it.

　He took three more steps forward and reached the barrier. He hesitated slightly, then stepped forward.

　As a result, without touching the barrier with his toes, he simply took a step forward and passed through it without any obstruction.

　But he immediately sensed that no one was lurking in the shadows beneath his feet. Laura was isolated by the barrier.

　Dark took a slight breath, becoming even more cautious. Sure enough, there were guards inside the barrier.

　However, the person was also dressed in a black robe and mask, making it impossible to discern their physique or appearance.

　He stood with his back against the rock wall, holding a black lantern in his hand, standing silently.

　o

　Dark glanced at him, and seeing that he didn't react, continued forward.

　From here to the "Dark Crystal Cave," there is a nearly straight passage. Every short distance there, a person in a black robe and mask stands. Upon closer inspection, he sensed a faint aura of darkness emanating from these figures, suggesting their magical attributes were all dark.

　Moreover, the masks they wore were all of the same style, unlike those worn by Dujur, Stilwell, and the others. The light in the passageway came almost entirely from the lanterns, making it dim, dark, and eerie.

　But as soon as they stepped out of the passage, the light suddenly brightened, and their vision instantly opened up. The ground was a deep blue, reflecting indistinct figures, with dark crystalline rock pillars scattered among them, refracting the light.

　This is the "Dark Crystal Cave," the venue with the most concentrated dark elements in the Dark-themed competition area.

　Inside this "Dark Crystal Cave", there are four tallest and thickest Dark Crystal Pillars standing at the four corners, forming a square space.

　Dak looked up slightly and saw that the cave ceiling was also covered with black crystals, which refracted light and shimmered with seven colors, which amazed him.

　However, now is not the time for tourism.

　He looked away and quickly observed that many people in black robes and masks were holding lanterns and standing close to the rock face.

　There were many more people wearing different masks, just like him, scattered around in twos and threes. These people were indeed strangers to each other, with only a very few whispering among themselves.

　Before coming here, Dak had memorized the patterns on some of the masks. Now, after glancing at them, he matched them one by one.

　He saw that Dujur and Stilwell were among them, but they were both alone and looking quite cautious.

　While observing as much as possible, Dak had already taken a step, preparing to blend into the crowd.

　At this point, there were already more than twenty people wearing different masks in the cave, but people were still entering from time to time.

　Before he could fully blend into the crowd, a person wearing different masks approached him.

　A thought struck him, and he slowed his pace slightly.

　The man had indeed come to "strike up a conversation," and after getting closer, he whispered, "Cooperation."

　Perhaps seeing that he was new and alone, they decided to join forces. But what exactly did they mean by "joining forces"?

　What needs to be cooperated on here?

　Dark knew nothing of the truth, but knowing he couldn't reveal it, he simply nodded slightly and changed his tone, saying, "Alright."

　He originally thought that Dujur, Stilwell, and the others had been notified to come to the gathering, and that even if they didn't know each other, they shared the same purpose and were "like-minded".

　But now it seems there is still competition between them.

　After answering "okay," he fell silent, preparing to play the role of a cold and taciturn person.

　The person who took the initiative to speak to him was quite enthusiastic, explaining as if to say, "I only arrived a little earlier than you. As soon as I arrived, I saw some people seeking cooperation. For example, some people seem to be on opposite sides, but in reality, they are secretly colluding. We arrived late, so we can't see the details clearly. We should be careful."

　Dak nodded slightly, thinking that the person might have already cooperated with others, and he should be careful.

　After rambling on for a while, the person revealed no further information beyond mentioning that someone had already collaborated with them.

　Dark vaguely sensed that the person also seemed unaware of what they were doing in the "Dark Crystal Cave," and was therefore trying to subtly extract information from them.

　But whether that person knew or not, Dark knew nothing about it, so he remained aloof.

　After a long pause, perhaps seeing that he was unmoved, the man suddenly said, "I'm Charlie, and you are?"

　Dark paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Just call me Doron."

Chapter 1576 Dark Duel Preview (4K)

　After exchanging names, although both knew they were pseudonyms, Guan...

　The relationship remains somewhat "close".

　Dark observed Charlie's mask and noticed that it was different from the various masks shown in the previous documents. He then realized that Charlie was not among the dozen or so people and had not been noticed by the intelligence department of "Scorpio Palace".

　However, in this "Dark Crystal Cave", apart from those black-robed people wearing the same mask, there are about thirty other people in total, but in reality, less than half of them have been identified.

　The remaining half, apart from five people including Dujul and Stilwell, did not make it into the qualifiers.

　Or perhaps some of them aren't even players.

　Although the dozen or so people who have been identified are all contestants, this is not enough to draw a definitive conclusion.

　While engaging in feigned politeness with Charlie, Dak continued to observe his surroundings, considering how to extricate himself if the situation turned unfavorable.

　The barrier enveloping the entire "Dark Crystal Cave" was a grand undertaking, but with his abilities, it was not impossible for him to forcibly break through it.

　In fact, he did not believe that the barrier could block the core ultimate move of the "God Card"; its main effects should be to isolate the aura and prevent people from spying on it.

　Those responsible for guarding this place and defending against attacks should be the black-robed men wearing the same masks.

　The masks of those black-robed men were painted with triangular patterns, and each of the three corners had a circular hole corresponding to the eyes, mouth, and nose, the secrets of which were unknown.

　They were scattered at the entrances of the eight passages, and their total number probably exceeded that of the other people with different masks. But it was unknown whether all of them also possessed the "God Card".

　Although not confirmed.

　However, Darke temporarily assumes that all the different masked people who were summoned have a "God Card".

　If they want to ensure that those wearing the same mask can quickly suppress those wearing different masks in the event of an accident, they should theoretically also have "God Cards".

　But in that case, those "God Cards" would really become available in bulk! Dark couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion when he thought of this.

　This number far exceeded his expectations.

　Subconsciously, it seemed impossible, and his deduction was not accurate.

　As he pondered this, several more people entered through the entrance.

　Dak had been counting the people and suddenly realized that there were already thirty-two people wearing different masks, including himself.

　"Thirty-two..."

　Just as Dark was slightly puzzled by the number, people wearing the same masks suddenly walked out of the passage. There were eight entrances, two people at each one.

　The sixteen people guarding the entrance clearly intended to "close the door." The thirty-two people in the room, wearing different masks, immediately noticed the actions of the "guards." They all became wary, and conversations and discussions suddenly increased.

　But this did not seem to cross their psychological bottom line, and no one stood up to question or object.

　Dark frowned slightly, then heard Charlie beside him say in a slightly flustered tone, "Brother Doron, I have a bad feeling. If someone suddenly attacks us later, we must watch out for each other and help each other."

　Dak nodded slightly and said, "This place has a strange environment; it's probably been specially arranged."

　Charlie said, "I have a feeling about that too... We should wait for the others to make their move first, and then we should make our move. We must not become the enemy's first target."

　Dark said, "Understood."

　The two quickly discussed how to escape together, and then each became alert and on guard.

　But a short while later, three people wearing the same mask walked out from the wall.

　These three individuals, one in the middle and two at the back, demonstrate the difference in their social standing.

　The man in the middle had just walked between the two dark crystal pillars when he suddenly raised his hand and wiped his face. His white triangular mask was then coated with a layer of blood red, completely distinguishing him from the others around him.

　Then the "red-faced man" stopped in place, tilted his head slightly, and waited for everyone to look over before speaking in a hoarse voice: "The divine ritual is about to begin. Those favored by the gods, please display your divine power before the God Lord, fight with your will, and resist with your divine strength. Only those who reach the end will receive the God Lord's blessing, obtain true divine power, and ascend to the position of true god!"

　As soon as he finished speaking, the people in the room suddenly looked at each other and subconsciously put distance between themselves.

　Dak glanced at Charlie, who had suddenly jumped away from him, and while chuckling to himself, he also took a half-step to the other side.

　At the same time, the words of the red-faced man kept replaying in his mind, and he extracted the key words from them.

　"Divine rituals, divine lord, true divine power, the position of the true god..."

　His gaze shifted, and the first thought that came to him was that the "God Lord" was surprisingly honest, distinguishing between the divine power he had bestowed upon those people and the "real divine power."

　Isn't this blatantly admitting that the power bestowed is "false divine power"?

　It's unclear whether those people knew beforehand.

　But in any case, Thompson didn't know.

　Unfortunately, everyone was wearing black robes and masks, making it impossible to see their true nature; otherwise, Dark would have been really looking forward to their reaction.

　The red-faced man's words caused a great deal of emotional turmoil among the people present, and each of them had different thoughts.

　The scene was slightly chaotic.

　However, the claim of "true divine power" is a reverse way of revealing the truth.

　The "position of the true god" was just a pie in the sky, and it was also the thing that everyone present craved the most.

　Dark knew that the so-called "god" behind the scenes was using power as bait to deceive people.

　In their pursuit of power and strength, most of these people risk losing their rationality, let alone the chance to become gods.

　Normally, they wouldn't easily believe in "becoming a god."

　However, if everyone possessed divine power and had a "God Card," their preconceived notions would already be raised to a certain level, thus reducing the likelihood of suspicion.

　Or rather, even if there are still doubts, they can no longer offset the greed.

　They had long witnessed the power of the "God".

　There is a high probability that something resembling a "black eyeball" has been implanted inside their body.

　It's no longer normal.

　After about two minutes, the red-faced man continued, "Divinity is unique; only one person can receive the God's blessing. But the God is merciful, granting the one who passes the first trial two chances, but each failure will come at a price..."

　He spoke eloquently, explaining the rules of the so-called "divine ritual" in just a few words.

　Thirty-two people will compete in pairs, with single-elimination matches, to determine sixteen finalists.

　These sixteen people are those who passed the first trial and will have an extra chance.

　That is, it evolved from a single-elimination tournament to a double-elimination tournament, until a single winner emerges from the finals.

　—This is practically a preview of the World Cup starting lineup! Clearly, Darko wasn't the only one with this thought. Everyone present reacted in different ways.

　If they were all like Thompson, they would all have been required to win a World Cup match when they first received the "God Card".

　And judging from the current situation, at least half of the participants are contestants. Therefore, they must be very familiar with these rules.

　Some doubts will inevitably arise in one's mind.

　and……

　"Every failure comes at a price. What is that price?" someone suddenly asked in a deep voice.

　The man's voice was deep, clearly a deliberate alteration.

　But Dark glanced at his mask and knew his identity: he was one of the contestants who had made it to the preliminaries.

　The contestant clearly had strong self-confidence; although he was asking questions, he showed no intention of backing down.

　The red-faced man turned and glanced at him, then said, "The victor of each trial may take one item from the loser."

　As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

　Those who had remained silent could no longer hold back.

　The phrase "taking something"—besides that, what else could they possibly take? They painstakingly obtained power from the "God," how could they just hand it over like that?